Dancing With Myself
by Clydae
Summary: Spanning from Wheels to Sectionals and beyond , Tina and Artie's relationship crashes and burns before it can even start. Is there any hope for these two?
1. Dancing With Myself

**Author's notes**:

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anyone in it. Sad face._

_Summary: This story will be a chapter fic spanning from Wheels to Sectionals, so there will be a lot of spoilers._

_The rate and number of updates will slightly depend on the feedback I get, so if you like it, let me know!_

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Oh dear God. Why had he said that? Just two minutes ago she was looking at him with _adoration_. Then he had to go and give a little too much information on how functional his nether regions are. So now, instead of admiration, Artie was sure that Tina was only embarrassed and creeped out.

The past two days had been such a whirlwind for Artie. He was getting a lot of attention, which he partially appreciated. And yet he felt even more excluded. The glee club had shunned the idea of a bake sale to pay for the special bus to take him to sectionals with the rest of them. This was only slightly remedied by the fact that Tina was the first to object, and the only one who supported the idea, it seemed. Then, after secretly watching Artie sing about his woes, Mr. Shue had decided that to force everyone to relate, they would spend time in a wheelchair everyday. Artie had to admit he was amused at the total failure some of his fellow glee kids experienced. Then he found himself teaching them all wheelchair dance moves for a new wheelchair number. It was pretty cool, actually. Then as they were leaving, Tina stopped to tell him how much she admired him, and was the first person to take enough interest to ask how he ended up in the chair in the first place. And he was more than willing to tell her, his best friend. But then, some testosterone-driven idiot in his brain decided to share about his fully functional genitalia, to which Tina gave a confused and slightly disgusted face before she very hastily wheeled off the stage.

With a sigh, Artie left wheeled himself out of the now empty auditorium. His mind was racing. Of everything he could have said to Tina in that moment, he had to say THAT. He had just told Tina the story of what got him in the chair, and she was very obviously interested in what he was saying. Hell, she seemed very interested in HIM.

As he followed the usual routine of getting into his dad's car and driving home, getting back into the chair and into his room, Artie was silent, but no one bothered him because his contemplative thinking was all over his face. When he finally shut himself in his room, hoisting himself into his bed, he let out an exasperated sigh, covering his face with his half-gloved hands.

"Ugh, I'm such an idiot!" he finally groaned. Seriously, Artie? Seriously. As Artie's inner voices berated whatever part of his brain let that little gem slip, he finally came to the hard part. Well, hard for a guy, anyway. Why was this such a tragedy?

Artie reminisced about his friendship with Tina. Especially since they joined Glee, she was always there for him. In every sense of the word. She seemed to understand him better than the other glee kids, and was even there to push his chair around the school and the stage. But he didn't like her because she pushed him around, he liked her because she seemed to be the only one who didn't look at the chair as if it was a part of Artie. Like it defined him or something. He could understand that, considering her own speech impediment. Artie actually stopped noticing it, but he was trying so hard to find something in common with Tina, he seemed to fixate on it. That was it, he supposed. Not only were they outcasts for being in Glee, but they were the meta-outcasts, with differences setting them apart from that group, too. Yes, that would be the common thread that would bring them together.

A part of him asked if the stutter was the only reason he liked her. He mentally shrugged. She was undeniably beautiful and had an incredible voice, even if she didn't fully realize it. And the way she smiled, when she _really_ smiled, was beyond stunning, the way it seemed to break through her dark exterior and shine through. Artie smiled a little just thinking about it all. But then he went back to the question at hand. She might be the most fabulous girl he'd ever met, but the stutter is the only reason she would be attracted to him, right? That meta-outcast thing. Artie decided he liked that new word he just made up.

Suddenly, like a swift kick to the shin (hey he can remember that hurts!), he remembered what had happened earlier that day. Ugh. That's right, he's a stupid idiot who just drove away the one girl that looked at him with anything but pity or indifference.

Artie sat up in his bed, looking down at his hands. He sighed in defeat, and resolved to at least try to repair his friendship with Tina. Even if he couldn't have her the way he wanted to have her, it was better than trying to live without her.

The next day crawled by like a snail on a lazy Sunday. Too many distractions that day. Usually such an eventful day would fly by, but Artie felt like he was going to die if the day lasted any longer.

Puck made fantastically delicious cupcakes and more than enough to pay for the handicap bus. Hooray.

Then there was the diva-off. Kurt blew it. Too bad, yet another solo for Rachel. Though, he was happy that Tina helped him sit next to her. They didn't say anything, but at least she wasn't sitting on the other side of the room gossiping about what a creep he was.

Artie gave up the cupcake money for a ramp to the auditorium. Ha, he's so noble. Though one thing of interest in this event was that Tina sat in the seat closest to him. And she was facing him, her legs hanging over the arm of the chair. Artie felt a boost of confidence from this and his super-chivalrous sacrifice for the good of the entire handicapped population of McKinley.

Oh. Ms. Sylvester paid for three new ramps. So he gets to take the bus with everyone anyway. Double yay? He wasn't quite sure. The irrational part of him was disappointed and bitter that Ms. Sylvester stole his thunder.

Finally the day was nearing its end and Artie began to panic. Not for any good reason, considering Tina wasn't avoiding him like the plague, but he had a plan. And he wanted to execute that plan.

Artie found Tina by her locker, her temporary wheelchair at her side for the moment. He was suddenly nervous, praying that some demon wouldn't possess him and make him say something stupid and inappropriate again.

"Hey… Tina?"

She was a bit startled, since she usually met him by his locker after she went to hers. They had a pretty static routine by now.

"Oh h-hey, Artie! D-did you already go t-to your locker?"

He smiled a little at the stutter, remembering his inner monologue the night before. _Stop it, Artie, you're here to fix this, not make any more 'moves' on her. You don't want to scar her for life!_ He shook his head quickly, then looked up at her with a smile,

"No, I actually came here first to look for you. I… didn't know if you'd come to my locker today." By the time he had finished, his smile had faded, and he became very interested in his hands on his lap.

"W-why wouldn't I come t-to your locker t-today?" She asked, sounding quite confused. Artie looked up quizzically, wondering if she had some temporary memory loss. Maybe she was so traumatized that she erased it from her memory entirely. Now that would be nice. But Artie couldn't let this go; he had to set things straight.

"Well, I assumed that after yesterday… When I told you about… what happened…"

Tina held back a giggle. He was very obviously embarrassed about what he had said the day before. But before he could continue, she cut him off.

"Artie, do you want to hang out with me after school today? I c-could use some advice on moving a-around in the wheelchair, a-anyway."

Artie looked up at her face. Was she serious? Slightly embarrassed, he just had to ask, "You mean… like a date?"

Tina's face suddenly lit up with a smile- a real one. "Yeah, a date."


	2. Taking Chances

**A/N: **_So I kinda pulled a J.K Rowling with this story. I have the final chapter written, but I have no idea how many chapters it'll take to get there, but we'll see. _

_Thanks for the 2 reviews, even if I got only 1 it still makes writing worthwhile! So thanks again and hope I don't disappoint. Artie/Tina deserves more love indeed!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Duh._

**Chapter 2 : Taking Chances**

Tina's head was absolutely swimming with the giddy excitement she was feeling. There wasn't exactly a ton of anticipation, she was meeting Artie out in front the school in about 10 minutes. She got all of her books gathered and hid them behind a trash can near the school's entrance. She doubted there would be many lurkers hanging around McKinley to steal her book bag, but she decided to play it safe.

After hiding her things, she had a few minutes to spare, so she ducked into the girl's restroom to make sure she looked alright. If she was going to be totally honest, she was a little nervous. However, she did feel like she was less nervous than Artie, so she had to be the cool, confident one. She gave herself a stern look in the mirror, _You can do this, Tina. Go get 'im._ She took a deep breath, as ready as she'd ever be.

Tina walked out the front entrance, grabbing her folded wheelchair on the way out. She felt a little pang of guilt, carrying the chair down the stairs. Artie would have to go all the way to the back entrance to use the ramp. Or so she thought.

Before she could reverse her steps and try to find Artie, the front doors opened, and there was Artie, flanked by none other than Mike Chang and Puck. Artie was absolutely beaming as the football players carried him down the stairs as they had done in the auditorium on multiple occasions. But this was different, Puck didn't _have_ to do anything. Maybe it was because he had invested so much in helping Artie with the bake sale and rolling around in wheelchairs every day, but Puck just seemed to be a little more sensitive to Artie.

Mike and Puck set Artie down at the base of the staircase, near a giggling Tina. Artie expressed his gratitude, to which Mike gave him a high five and Puck said very honest, "Don't mention it," looking around to make sure his random act of kindness wasn't witnessed by anyone else. He had to keep his badass image at all cost, glee or no glee.

The two football players headed their separate ways, finally leaving Artie alone with Tina. They both sat in their wheelchairs watching each other for a moment. _Oh God, this is awkward_. Neither had to say it, but they were both thinking it. That was the problem with trying to turn a friendship into something more, there was really no good way to go about doing it. As if encouraged by a mental cattle prod, Tina forced herself to break the awkward silence,

"So… w-want to go on a stroll a-around t-t-town?" She asked with a half-smile. She was suddenly more nervous than she had been ten minutes ago.

And for some reason, Artie felt a little less nervous. Maybe it was the chair. She was suddenly at his mercy, having only spent a few days in the chair, as opposed to eight years. He grinned, rolling a little closer.

"How about we go to the park? That's pretty much the only place with wide enough sidewalks for both of us to go together."

Tina hadn't thought of that. She felt herself flush slightly. She had been in such control, asking him out and everything. But she remembered it was Artie that she was with. Always the smart and thoughtful one. She nodded, "Sounds good to me!"

They started towards the park in relative silence. After leaving the proximity of McKinley, the sidewalks narrowed, forcing Artie to travel in front of Tina. He felt awkward doing so, it was like she was pushing him again, rather than going _with_ him. But as Artie was about to say something, he suddenly slowed down, like an additional weight had been added to his chair. Confused, he tried to push though it, maybe his wheels needed some WD40 or something. However, when he looked down to make sure something wasn't caught up in his wheels; he caught a glimpse of a black boot hooked under one of the cross beams on the back of his chair. He followed it back up to its owner, who was shyly smiling back at him, trying to suppress her laughter.

"Trying to hitch a free ride, eh?" Artie asked in a mock-accusation.

Tina was quick with a come-back, clasping her hands together near her face, looking listlessly at Artie, "Oh b-but Artie, you're just so m-much stronger than me!" Suppressing her laughter was nearly impossible, but she managed to keep a semi-straight face until Artie turned back around, grumbling something about sneaky girls.

After some exerted effort on Artie's part, they arrived at the park, rewarded by the wide walkway that he had promised.

"Alright, you. Joy ride's over, you're coming with me now." Artie called back to her as she finally unhooked her feet from his chair and rolled up beside him.

They moved pretty slowly, trying to stay in sync with each other. There were a few moments of silence before Artie's curiosity got the best of him. Nervously adjusting his glasses, he stole a glance at Tina before asking,

"Tina… why did you as me out? I mean, I'm really glad you did, but… after what I said yesterday…" he trailed off. He didn't want to relive that moment, and prayed that she didn't suddenly remember and run out on him. But instead he heard her chuckle as a smile spread across her face.

"Well I-I'll admit t-that was really w-weird, Artie. But I guess I f-figured you wouldn't have s-said something like that unless you l-liked me at least a little bit." Tina looked down at her lap as she continued to roll by Artie's side. It had been a risk for her, but she figured that if Artie had the confidence to tell her about his accident, she should return the favor by having the confidence to ask him out herself.

Artie, however, was very embarrassed, just thinking about what he said made him want to hit his head on a brick wall. Even if it had somehow encouraged Tina. But he swallowed his pride and looked over at her, a little satisfied by her apparent nervousness. He flashed a small smile, reaching over to the nearest wheel on her chair to gently stop her. She looked at him, slightly confused. He rolled around to face her,

"Well I'm really happy you did, Tina. I don't know how long it would have taken me to have the guts like that," he searched her face until the inevitable start of a smile crept over her face. "How about we head back to school?"

She looked at him quickly. He wanted to leave already? She was about to object when he laughed and cut her off, "The floors there are perfect for a little race."

Tina grinned mischievously, "It's on!"

After towing Tina back to McKinley, they went around back to use the ramp up. Luckily Artie had been smart enough to slip a piece of tape over the lock so they could slip inside. The school was a bit eerie when it was empty, most of the fluorescent lights in the halls and classrooms were turned off. But this was apparently lost to the giddy couple, who were like trigger-happy fools wanting to start their race. After setting some parameters and a finish line (Artie made sure to include a corner to give him a competitive edge), the race was on. Tina and Artie were neck and neck for the majority of the race until the corner caused Tina to slow down in order to avoid face-planting into some lockers. She cried out at the injustice of it all, he had eight years of practice!

Artie turned around, smiling like an idiot. He said something about wheelchair races being just a big hassle… like her stutter. Tina's smile faded for a moment. But then she remembered where she was, who she was with, and why, and she smiled once again.

"This was a really fun date!" She caught her breath, and looked at him with a hint of seriousness, "but… I want to get out of this chair." She watched his smile disappear as he asked why, but she kept a coy smirk on her face as she slowly got up.

"So I can do this…" She placed her hands on the arms of his chair, leaned down and kissed him gently on the mouth. It was short, but ever so sweet.

When the kiss was broken, Artie gave the most sheepish smile Tina had ever seen, but internally he was beating himself up as he adjusted his glasses. _Wow Artie, way to just sit there while the perfect girl kisses you!_ He wished he had dared to reach up and touch her blue-streaked raven hair, or even touch her face. But no, cowardly Artie had to just sit there like a statue, hands folded in his lap. Luckily she didn't seem to mind, considering the softest, most beautiful smile spread across her face as she sat back in her chair. His reverie was soon broken.

"Artie… I need to tell you something…"

And then it was like waking up from a wonderful dream, that same feeling of disappointment and regret washed over Artie as Tina told him the truth. He felt like someone had thrown a brick at his chest. After a short, bitter exchange, Artie quickly rolled away from a desperate Tina, who was calling after him.

And the sound of two shattered hearts filled the hallways of McKinley- silence.


	3. No Air

**A/N: **_Thanks everyone who reviewed/favorite this story, I really appreciate it! It drives me to write even more. That, and I have an excuse to watch these episodes again to make sure I don't make any glaring context mistakes. And any excuse to watch Glee is a good one!_

_Oh my, two chapters in one night! I didn't think I'd get two chapters out of Ballads, but it seems like I'm going to._

_Usual Disclaimer. Glee ain't mine!_

**Chapter 3 : No Air**

The next day, Glee rehearsal was all about Proud Mary, the wheelchair number. It was great. Really. Good thing Tina was good at acting; she was positively perky during her brief solo in the song. But what really ate at her was the fact that Artie seemed to be carefree, and she knew if he was upset, it would come through it his voice. His voice was perfectly sultry, not a glimmer of doubt. Tina internally cursed herself. It seemed like it was all over, just like that.

The next couple days drifted by for Tina, not really noticing what went on around her. Finally, she was intercepted after school at her locker by the dynamic duo- Mercedes and Kurt. As she closed her locker, she jumped at the sight of them. They looked pretty serious, almost glaring at her.

"Oh, hey guys…"

"Girl, what is wrong with you?" Mercedes cut her off. "You've been like a ghost for days. Come on, spill. What's going on?"

Tina was a bit taken aback by this sudden interrogation, and just as she was about to fabricate some story, Kurt cut her off as if he could read her mind,

"And where's Artie? We haven't seen you two together recently, so don't try to lie to us. What happened?"

Tina sighed in exasperation, wondering if she'd actually get a chance to answer the barrage of questions. Finally there was a moment of silence, which Tina took as an invitation to speak.

"Um… well, Artie doesn't want to be my…" she paused, not really sure how much she should reveal to the two gossip mongers, "friend anymore."

"What you talkin' about, Tina? You and Artie were practically glued together. What happened?"

"And we're not going to let you go without telling us." Kurt added, raising a brow as he conjectured about what could have happened to separate the two best friends.

Tina, defeated, slumped against the lockers behind her, hiding her face in her hands. "I don't have a stutter" she mumbled. When she just got incredulous looks from her friends, she lowered her hands and sighed. "I lied. I don't actually have a stutter. I started in the 6th grade to get people to leave me alone. And it worked. So I couldn't just stop. I'm sorry…" Tina didn't want to lose any more friends, but they would figure it out anyway. When she finally got the courage to look at Mercedes and Kurt, she was surprised to find expectant looks on their faces, not at all phased by Tina's confession.

"But what does that have to do with Artie?" Mercedes pressed. Tina felt a sense of gratitude. Though, considering Kurt lied about his sexuality until recently, she felt a certain kinship with him. However, this didn't change the fact that the two were still bearing down on her like hawks.

"Well when he found out that I had lied about a disability he… left me"

Tina barely finished the statement when Mercedes gave a victorious "Yes! I knew it!" and Kurt rolled his eyes and procured a ten dollar bill and shoved it at Mercedes.

"Wait, you guys bet on us?!" Tina asked in disbelief. There was no shame on Mercedes' grinning face. She simply nodded, while Kurt was sulking. Tina looked at them carefully, wondering what this was all about. "You guys don't see what I see in him, do you?"

"It's noble you find Artie attractive despite the chair, Tina. But even without the chair, I just don't see it." Kurt was blunt, to say the least. But instead of getting angry, Tina thought for a moment. They still saw the chair before Artie. Sure they were his friend, but it was difficult to see past it.

"Fine. I have a challenge for you, then. Tomorrow at Glee practice, I want you guys to look at Artie. Not his chair or his legs, watch his face. Then we can talk about it, okay?" Tina smiled slightly. This was going to be good.

Mercedes and Kurt were slightly confused. It seemed like Tina was confident that they had missed something. They shrugged and agreed to the little dare.

The next day, Glee started out pretty interesting. Brittany thought a Ballad was a male duck. Tina had to admit that the blonde cheerio was adorable in the dumb blonde sort of way. She was happy to have her in Glee, even if she spies for Ms. Sylvester. But really, what kind of damage could Brittany do to the club which she had obviously grown to enjoy.

Despite Brittany's duck comment, Mr. Shue had explained that they would be paired up to sing ballads to one another. Tina thought the idea was pretty weird and just crossed her fingers that she didn't get Artie. She didn't want to face him with that kind of emotional assignment just yet. First up to pick was Puck, who got Mercedes. Tina tried not to laugh; the personality conflict there was just too much. Next up was Artie, who very excitedly drew Quinn's name. Then Finn drew Kurt's name, and about half the room eyed Kurt, wondering how he would take advantage of the assignment at hand. But then it was Tina's turn to pick and she drew 'other asian'. She felt bad for Mike, but his face was priceless. Santana drew Brittany (lucky girls), and everyone was about to be very amused as Mr. Shue's plan came back to bite him in the ass. Since Matt was out sick, he had to do a Ballad with Rachel.

Tina eyed Mercedes, who shrugged, then nudged Kurt. They had their challenge to do. Luckily, Artie asked about the songs, and Rachel volunteered herself and Mr. Shuester to demonstrate.

As Rachel was falling in love with Mr. Shue, Artie suddenly felt like he was being watched. He chanced a glance in Tina's direction, but she seemed to be looking everywhere but at him. Confused, he tried to figure out who would be staring at him. Finally he saw that Kurt was staring at him with an intensity that he thought should be reserved for Finn or something. Then he discovered that Mercedes was watching him, too. That couldn't be good. Did those two have something on him that he didn't know about? In an attempt to get away from the prying eyes of Mercedes and Kurt, he turned to look at Quinn, his assigned partner. Instead, he saw Finn was staring at him, too.

"Finn… why is everyone staring at me?" Artie whispered, a little freaked out.

Finn, who had been caught looking at Rachel's butt, had averted his eyes from the weird scene going on around the piano, only to find that people were staring at Artie like he was the most interesting thing they've ever seen. So, Finn joined suit.

"I don't know, man. That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Tina met Mercedes and Kurt the next day in the hallway between classes. Tine had a knowing smirk as her two friends walked up to her, looking slightly embarrassed. Tina wasted no time, "So?"

Mercedes and Kurt looked at each other, and with a sigh Mercedes started them off,

"You're right Tina, he's a cutie"

"Especially when he asked about the songs, his confused face is undeniably adorable"

"Not to mention he has a really great smile and nice teeth"

"And the most innocent blue eyes you've ever seen"

Tina was a little overwhelmed by the two exchanging their Artie notes, and Tina waved her hands a bit, "Okay okay, so you get my point?" When hey both nodded, Tina smiled, though there was a hint of sadness. She was about to speak again when the voices of Quinn and Finn broke through the silence, arguing about baby drama yet again. At the same moment, Artie appeared, perhaps to approach Quinn about their ballad. But apparently Finn told his mom about the baby, upsetting. And Quinn ended the argument with,

"You're wrong, I'm right. I'm smart, you're dumb," before storming off.

Kurt volunteered to 'see what he can do' for Finn, which Mercedes and Tina knew meant more than just giving advice. Kurt was up to something.

But Mercedes noticed that she was suddenly alone with Tina and Artie in the hallway. "Um, I'm going to go… over there…" Mercedes mumbled before disappearing to leave Artie and Tina to themselves. Tina found that she couldn't look directly at Artie.

"Hey Artie" She said softly, taking sudden interest in the linoleum floor tiles.

"Hey Tina" He said brightly, which did grab her attention. She finally looked him in the eye, and what she saw broke her heart all over again. He looked at her the same way he looked at everyone. Kind, intelligent, and innocent. But the light was gone. The light that used to be in his eyes when he talked to her. The light that shone only for her, his best friend.

Before she could say anything else, he was gone.


	4. Lean on Me

**A/N:** _Wow everybody, thanks so much for all the reviews and favorites! I got to wake up to 5 new reviews, 5 alerts and 2 favorites._

_Since you guys are so awesome, whenever I get a new review, I go and make the last chapter a little bit better. I have to say, it's coming along fantastically._

_And this chapter will be a little experiment. This will be the first chapter I write when it's not some ungodly single-digit time a.m._

_Disclaimer: Me no own Glee. Me Clydae, he Ryan Murphy._

**Chapter 4 : Lean on Me**

Tina continued to drift through the halls of McKinley, her mind elsewhere. Anything to keep her from thinking about the reality that she had just crashed into. And now that she had told Kurt and Mercedes her secret (not to mention going a few days without stuttering), she couldn't go back to hiding behind her hair, clothes, and stutter. She was just another normal girl, and she had never felt so alone.

After school, Tina vaguely remembering that she had to meet Mike on the second floor to go over their ballad assignment, Tina made her way up the stairs. That ballad assignment. Sing everything you feel. Tina scowled to herself, she was positive Mike wouldn't want to know everything that she was feeling. And it was a little awkward; it wasn't like they were friends or anything. Sure he was nice and friendly, but they just didn't know each other very well. He was probably feeling the same way. Maybe there was a good way out of this assignment.

Finding the empty room that Mike had found to practice, Tina turned on the lights and sat patiently. She didn't have to wait long, Mike came in a few minutes later, looking as awkward as she did.

"Hey" he greeted casually. "Not really sure what to do for this…" he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, obviously feeling uncomfortable with the situation.

She sighed, "I know. Plus, we've all been so busy with Finn and Quinn's baby drama… wait, that's it!" She jumped off of her chair, reaching for her phone. Mike looked more than confused. Before he could ask, she answered his question, "Instead of doing these awkward ballad pairs, let's get everybody to sing one to Finn and Quinn! It'll make them feel better and I might just be saving Mercedes' life."

Mike laughed at this. It was true, Puck might just kill the boisterous girl after all. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Want me to tell Brittany and Santana?"

Tina nodded as she dialed Mercedes' number.

Directly below them in the music room, Mercedes heard her phone ring, and was a bit surprised to see Tina calling.

"Hey Tina, what's up?"

'_Mercedes, I have a great idea for this stupid ballad project'_

"Oh yeah? Where are you?"

'_On the second floor with Mike. He's telling Brittany and Santana now.'_

"Oh you're right above me!"

'_Uh… yeah, but just listen. Instead of doing these stupid ballads with each other, we should all sing for Quinn and Finn! How about… Lean on Me? Your voice would be perfect for it. Better not have Rachel solo on this one'_

Just then Puck walked in, glaring daggers at Mercedes. He mumbled something about having to practice the ballad, and she waved him off, "I'm talking to my girl Tina"

She turned back to the phone, "That's a great idea! I'll get everyone else in on it."

Tina closed her phone, turning back to Mike with a smile. "Is everybody in?"

He nodded, "Yup I even sent a text to Matt in case he gets better by tomorrow."

As Tina was walking home, she felt her phone buzz. When she found it in her bag, the screen brightly informed her that she had a new text from Mercedes.

_I know im good but I think u know whose voice would be even better ;)_

Tina's heart sank into her stomach. Of course she knew. Mercedes' voice was big and bold, but it was Artie's soulful voice that would be perfect for a song like Lean on Me. She sighed, slid up the screen to access her phone's little keyboard, texting back quickly

_Can u ask him?_

It was only a couple of minutes before she got an affirmative response from Mercedes, and Tina continued on her way home.

The next day, they all agreed to rehearse Lean on Me after school before presenting it to Quinn and Finn the day after. Tina waited in the music room anxiously, unsure if this was going to work. Luckily she had gotten Mr. Shue in on the plan, so it couldn't exactly fail. It would just suck if Puck sat out or something. It would only work with everybody. Finally people came shuffling in. Mike, with Brittany at his side came in, gave Tina a smile and an approving nod.

"I'm impressed we actually got everyone together. Great idea, Tina."

"Yeah, it's like… we can all sing to them!" Brittany added.

Tina smiled at the blonde cheerio. But soon Santana arrived with Mr. Shue on her heels, then Mercedes and Kurt, Rachel, then Artie. Everyone waited a few minutes, wondering if the angsty football player would show. Finally, Puck trudged through the door, giving a weird look to Mercedes, who seemed to look proud of him. Something weird must have gone down in the music room that day…

"Well let's get this thing over with" Puck broke off Tina's thoughts with his very irritated voice.

But then Mr. Shue took over. The rehearsal went very well. And Tina had to admit, Artie's voice was better for the part. Who was she kidding, it was beyond perfect. She would never admit it while Rachel was alive somewhere in the world for fear of being disemboweled, but Tina preferred Artie's voice over Finn's. It just had more emotion in it. Finn's was very pure, but it just didn't carry the same weight as Artie's. As he sang with Mercedes, Tina couldn't help but swoon a little. _Don't be such an idiot schoolgirl, Tina. It's over. He's not yours anymore_ she mentally kicked herself. But still…

The rehearsal ended after a couple run-throughs, everyone confident that tomorrow was going to perfectly. Everyone filed out of the music room just as they had entered, but Tina lingered a little. She didn't really know why, maybe it was out of habit. She was used to waiting for Artie, who usually left last. As per usual, she was left alone with Artie for a moment after Rachel had finally gone. Tina looked at Artie, who was just finishing gathering up his things. She took a breath, daring herself to speak.

"Hey Artie… you did a really good job with the song today…" She managed to say with more difficulty than was necessary.

Artie hadn't really noticed he was alone with Tina until she spoke to him. He quickly looked up and around, his eyes finally landing on her. He half-smiled, accepting the small compliment. Though he was looking forward to Quinn Fabray singing to him, when he heard about Tina's idea, it was too good to pass up. However, his smiled faded quickly. He took a good look at Tina for the first time in a while, and noticed how different she looked. Well, she still looked the same, but her face was different. She looked really tired, her eyes dull with lack of sleep. It was like she was empty.

"Thanks Tina… you okay?" He asked out of genuine interest. Yes, he was determined to pretend nothing had ever happened with them. To him, they were just acquaintances. Or friends by association. Something like that.

She looked at him as if she was a deer in headlights, obviously not expecting him to ask her any questions. He felt a little bad at that moment, she was obviously in pain just from being this close to him. She mumbled that she was fine and managed to make a break for the door. He sighed as she turned the corner and was out of sight.

Their hard work paid off. When they performed the song for Quinn and Finn, they looked so touched. Quinn was on the verge of tears until they pulled her up to dance with them. It really was a good moment for the Glee club. Awkward moment between Kurt and Finn aside. After lots of laughing and hugs, everyone slowly filed out as usual. And as per usual, Artie took a little longer getting his things together. He secretly loved that Tina waited for him to get his things together. When everyone else had gone, Artie decided to congratulate Tina

"This was such a great idea…"

He lifted his head, and found that the room was empty. She was gone. He finished his statement to the empty room,

"…Tee…"

Using the nickname he had called her back when they were best friends, he realized in that moment that he missed her.


	5. Confessions, Pt II

**A/N:** _Thanks again to all my reviewers! You guys really do make me want to update faster! Next few days might be a little slower, since I have icky finals. But I'll still try to update whenever I can!_

_Hairography didn't give me a lot of material to work with, so I'm not sure if I'll get one or two chapters out of it. I guess I'll find out in a bit. Looks like 2 short chapters._

_Usual Disclaimer still applies._

**Chapter 5 : It's My Life/Confessions, Pt. II**

Artie was NOT prepared for the Jane Adams Academy girls' performance. It was… dynamic. Yeah, that was a good word- dynamic. There were butts and chests all over the place, and the hair was just everywhere. The performance was good all around, but it freaked him out a little. He glanced back at Mr. Shue, who looked like he had seen a ghost or something. That wasn't good…

The next day in glee rehearsal, Mr. Shue announced that the new number was going to be from 'Hair'. Wow, subtle, Mr. Shue. Before he knew it, Artie had a bag of wigs thrown in his lap. He ruffled through it, until he found a Rastafarian wig. Can't pass that up. He passed the bag along as he placed the strange mop of hair on his head. He looked around at the other guys, looking about as ridiculous as he felt. He couldn't help but smile. Everyone was laughing at them. Artie was curious as to how this hairography bit was going to play out with four out of the six guys being football players. But they all seemed to be pretty into it, so who knows. It's just crazy enough to work!

As everyone filed out as usual, Artie tried to keep an eye on Tina this time. Maybe last time was just a fluke and she would wait for him again. But she was like a rabbit on speed, grabbing her things quickly to try and catch up to Mercedes and Kurt, who were already on their way back. At the door, Tina glanced back at Artie. When she saw that he was watching her, she nearly bolted out of the room. He sighed quietly to himself, taking his time to get his stuff together.

Mr. Shue's concern radar went off in his head as he saw Artie left alone in the music room. Coming out of his office, he approached the wheelchair-bound boy cautiously. "Hey Artie, everything okay?"

Artie could have punched himself in the face. He appreciated the teacher's constant concern for the emotional health of his students, but he wasn't sure he was quite ready to talk about what was bothering him, considering he hadn't even admitted to himself what the real problem was.

"I'm fine, Mr. Shue" He replied. Mr. Shue very obviously didn't believe him. He looked around for any other students.

"Where is Tina? Doesn't she usually wait for you?"

_Ugh. _Artie looked up at Mr. Shue with his big blue eyes and opened his mouth to say something. But apparently his eyes betrayed him… as usual.

"Wow, for being the misfits, you kids sure do have a lot of drama" Mr. Shue pondered out loud. "Well if you need anything, you can ask, okay?"

Artie mustered a smile, however fake it was. "Sure thing, Mr. Shue." Artie finally escaped from the prying questions that he was sure Mr. Shue would ask if he had stayed. He let out a sigh of relief once he was out the door, only to bump into Mercedes, who was waiting impatiently outside, tapping her foot. Artie scanned the area for Kurt, but was surprised and a little unsettled to realize he was nowhere nearby. Artie looked up at Mercedes with his usual friendly smile,

"Oh hey Mercedes-"

"Hey Wheels, whatever you did to Tina, you'd better fix it." She interrupted, getting straight to the point.

Ouch, Mercedes hadn't called him Wheels for a long time. She must be pretty upset at him. But wait, how did she know about Tina? Artie suddenly felt a wave of anger towards Tina for blabbing to the biggest gossip girl of the club. Having everybody in glee know about it wasn't going to help him in his master plan to forget anything ever happened. In his little hissy fit, Artie couldn't help but raise his voice a little at Mercedes.

"Did you ever think that it was her fault, not mine? Maybe I don't want to fix it! And how do you know about it, anyway? Did she tell you everything?" He glared at Mercedes the best that he could. He was never one to glare. And especially in a competition with Mercedes, he lost miserably.

"Well white boy, I don't see you looking like some busted up your heart at all. Tina looks like she not all there anymore! And no, she didn't tell me anything, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it's because of you. She can't even look at you!" The last part was a lie, but hey- it was for her girl Tina.

"It's not my fault that she can't move on as well as I can," He retorted, totally making everything up as he went along. He just wanted to win the argument.

"Oh so that's it then, huh Artie? She just doesn't mean anything to you anymore?" Mercedes leaned closer to him. She knew she had him now.

"Wha- what are you talking about? She means the world to me!" Oops. Artie covered his mouth with his hand, wide-eyed. He didn't mean to say that. But… he did mean it. He didn't really know it until Mercedes had cornered him and practically forced it out of him, but after it was out, he knew it to be true.

Mercedes had a victorious smirk on her face. _Gotcha._ Mercedes lowered her voice and narrowed her eyes, her stare boring into the panic-stricken Artie."I thought so. Now fix. It."


	6. True Colors

**A/N: **_Thanks to everybody who has reviewed! Though, I actually had a hard time with this chapter for some reason. Maybe I ate too much French toast. I think it's because I need to hold the story long enough to cover all the way through Sectionals. Which, by the way, I'm super stoked about! Anyway, here goes._

_Usual Disclaimer_

**Chapter 6 : True Colors**

"So, Hairography. Um, it works best when you pretend like you're getting tazer'd. So you just move your head around like you're spazzing and stuff."

Brittany took down her ponytail and started shaking her head, swinging her hair around just like the Jane Adams girls had done. Everyone ooh'd and aah'd at her peculiar talent. She encouraged everyone to join her with an encouraging, "so you guys, it's like cool epilepsy."

And so began the most ridiculous "dance lesson" ever. Everyone in glee was standing in a line (sitting, for Artie, of course), the guys wearing their wigs, swinging their heads around like absolute lunatics. With encouragement from Mr. Shue, everyone got pretty into it, though there was some moaning and groaning going on as people strained their necks. People started laughing at each other, and it became a pretty good time. Most people didn't notice Mr. Shue head towards the door with a concerned look on his face.

Artie had taken a chance that day and had wheeled himself next to Tina, instead of hanging around at the end of the line like he normally did. He was planning to say something to her. He didn't really know what, but sitting next to her seemed to be a good start.

It paid off. Tina paused for a moment to balance herself after all the head-swinging, and she glanced over to Artie with his mop-like rasta wig. She snorted at the sight of him. She managed to speak between fits of laughter, "Artie… you look absolutely ridiculous!"

He stopped and beamed up at her. He was having fun, despite the silliness. "Well you don't exactly look like a princess either, Tee" he laughed back at her.

Then Tina saw it. Just a little bit. But it was there, a little glimmer of life back in Artie's eyes. They both stopped laughing, just looking at each other, still smiling.

They both looked like they wanted to say something, but it was the voice of Ms. Sylvester that silenced the entire room. The next time Tina would see Artie's eyes, that light would be gone again.

"Do you know why I make of my Cheerios wear her hair pulled back in a ponytail? Because I don't want to distract from her impeccable talent! You seem to be taking the opposite approach, Will. And that leads me to believe you know your kids don't have what it takes!"

The entire glee club turned around, gathering directly across from the door. The argument continued for another minute or two. But the entire club seemed to have been affected by the cheer coach's words. Was Mr. Shue really worried? Was this hairography stuff really just a show to distract the judges? Everyone was silent when Mr. Shue came back into the music room, taking the number again from the top.

For Tina, her problem wasn't with the hairography. Oh no, it was the choreography. If Brittany wasn't the most innocent creature on the planet, Tina might have socked her in the face. Not that it was her fault, but she was choreographed to be all over him. She didn't mind that her partner was Mike yet again, but they were right next to Brittany and Artie. Tina knew she had no right to be jealous, but she couldn't help but stare loathingly, or was it longingly, at the two. There was nothing she could do about it, really. She just did the best with what she had.

Artie, on the other hand, had no problem with the choreography. He was a guy, after all. He didn't mind Brittany, but the real perk was that, because he was in the chair, he had to stay on the bottom level of the room, right behind the girls for most of the number. And with Tina just one girl over, he had a nice view. That was, of course, when his wig wasn't in his face. The choreography gave him a little flashback to the Push It number. Now that was just scandalous.

Artie remembered when Rachel came up with the choreography for Push It. When they rehearsed it, Artie remembered how nervous Tina was. By then they had become friends, but it was before they were really… interested in each other. Or maybe it was the beginning. There was no way to tell. Rachel instructed Tina and Mercedes to do all the sexy moves that she had storyboarded the night before. While obviously uncomfortable, Tina handled it all okay until about halfway through the number, Rachel very casually informed Artie and Tina that he would be slapping her butt.

'_W-w-w-what??' Tina looked like she was going to faint. Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes, waving away Tina's concern as she moved on to work with Kurt._

'_I-I don't know if I c-c-can do this, Artie' Tina confessed quietly as Rachel was occupied elsewhere._

_Artie looked up at his friend with a soft smile. 'Don't worry about it, Tee. It's just me, okay? Plus, if you don't, Rachel will probably do much worse.'_

_Tina gave a half-smile, and nodded. 'O-okay Artie. B-b-but only because i-it's you.'_

Glee club got the opportunity to perform Crazy in Love/Hair for the first time for the Haverbrook students. Artie was a little nervous, performing this choreography for the deaf students. It was either going to work, or just freak them out.

They didn't do half bad. None of the guys dropped their respective girls, and no wigs fell off. However, it seemed to just freak the Haverbrook students out, as Artie had feared. The McKinley glee club awkwardly sat down, trading places with the Haverbrook kids. The guys slipped off their wigs, preparing to watch the other school's performance.

It started with the gentle melody on the piano. Then, the guy in front started to 'sing' Imagine, while the rest of the group signed the words. It was more like reciting it like poetry, but the message was just as real. Tina noticed that Rachel was crying, and Mercedes looked like she was on the verge. But suddenly, Mercedes' voice carried to join the Haverbrook boy's. Everyone turned to look at her in disbelief. But the Haverbrook boy smiled, and the rest of the glee club followed. Soon Mercedes was on her feet, standing next to him, trying to follow his signs. When he looked at her and smiled, it was like and accepted invitation.

Tina's attention quickly diverted when Artie's voice broke through as he wheeled next to the girl on the end, also doing a bad job copying the sign language. Soon everyone was up on stage, Tina taking her place behind Artie. He glanced backwards, meeting Tina's eyes with the most sincere smile she'd seen in a while. This was what it was all about. The performance was one of the most touching moments in Tina's life, and she was sure the sentiment was shared by her fellow McKinley glee members. After the song ended, the McKinley and Haverbrook kids exchanged hugs and high-fives. Tina looked over to Mr. Shue, who was brimming with tears, looking more proud than ever.

Good thing he was moved enough by the performance to ditch the hairography number. If Tina had to watch Brittany practically hump Artie one more time she was going to vomit. But when Mr. Shue handed out the new music, Tina looked slightly confused. It seems she had been handed Rachel's part- the solo. She was about to object when Mr. Shue announced that Tina was going to take the solo on this one.

_Finally!_ Artie thought to himself, nodding in approval. It was about time Tina got the recognition she deserved for her voice. She had previous mini-solos in other songs, but finally she got a song to really shine. And the song selection was very appropriate- True Colors.

And she did a fantastic job. And Artie felt her look at him when the lyrics were particularly poignant. And sometimes he dared to look back. He knew she sang it with a purpose. It was too perfect.

He needed her back in his life. Friends or more, he really didn't care. But he still hadn't quite forgiven her. He needed more time to think.

If only he knew how much it was killing her every time she saw that shadow of doubt cross his face.


	7. You Keep Me Hangin' On

**A/N: **_Again big thanks to all my reviewers. I got a specific question from xnerdark:_

Q: What are you going to do after the fall finale? Are you going to continue  
during the hiatus?

_A: Well, a lot of this depends on what kind of material Sectionals gives me. The final chapter has no specific episode context, so it could, in theory, come much later than Sectionals. So if I can find a creative way to extend the plot, it could very well continue through part of the hiatus. That was actually my original plan, but I ended up updating a lot faster than expected. And there's always epilogue fluff to be had._

_That said, I want to hear input from you guys on this: Would you like to see this fic end after sectionals, or would you rather me come up with original content during the hiatus? Mind you, it would probably be rendered false when the back 9 come out in April. Let me know what you think._

_Without further ado, I think I can get 2 good chapters out of Mattress. Might have more flashbacks to earlier in the season or more original content if content is looking thin like in the last chapter._

**Chapter 7 : You Keep Me Hangin' On**

Artie didn't sleep that night. Awake in his bed, Artie folded his hands behind his head as he explored his thoughts. Mainly, that encounter with Mercedes a couple days before. He had meant what he said. Tina did mean a whole lot to him. But as what? He was still convinced that they had nothing in common now that she had no disability. You know, besides loving to sing, similar tastes in music, dry sense of humor, and general dislike for most of the student population at McKinley. But other than that, there wasn't anything for them to relate about. So he couldn't possibly want her the way he had before, right?

He sighed. Not only that, but now that she was normal, she wouldn't want him anymore. She might have thought so at first, but now that she was just a beautiful girl with a wonderful voice, she might see what she was missing. Artie accepted the fact that she had settled for him earlier. He looked down at his motionless legs. He just couldn't be a normal guy. Artie thought about that kiss- his first kiss. Tina had to lean over, supporting herself on his chair. That couldn't be very comfortable. Now maybe, if he had pulled her into his lap, he could have had a better angle-

_Artie! Stop it! You're going off topic!_

He had to mentally berate himself for daydreaming about him and Tina again. He was supposed to be mad at her, not fantasizing about kissing her again. She lied. The end.

But Artie wasn't going to pretend like he could continue treating Tina as if she was just any other person. Even if she lied, they still had a bond, and he knew he couldn't sever that just by ignoring her.

He couldn't be with her the way they were before. But maybe- just maybe- they could be friends again.

The next day, Kurt called a Rachel-less meeting about Figgins' decision to omit the glee club photo. And he presented a good point. The fact that glee was still relatively unknown was saving them from more torment. Even Artie, who got most of the worst bullying around anyway, admitted that it was unsettling. Lucky for them, Mr. Shue promised them that they will all be in the Thunderclap. Great. Once he had left, everyone looked around at each other, slightly panicked and disappointed.

But good news came quickly. Mr. Shue announced that they could only get a quarter page, so only 2 "captains" would be appearing in the photo. Everyone thought the same thing, writing down Rachel's name. She wanted to be in the picture- let her have it.

However, Mr. Shue was not satisfied by this, and sent Rachel on a manhunt to find herself a co-captain. While just about everyone in glee could have bet ten bucks that Finn would end up getting suckered into it, they didn't expect her to go after others first. Mercedes did a good job ditching her, Artie watched Rachel look around in desperation. He decided to hide near a corner, under the stairs. But it was to no avail, he was spotted.

Rachel came at him like a rabid dog, and he feared for his life.

"Why, hello Artie! I think you would be a great candidate for the glee club co-captain position. We could give of an image of diversity and acceptance!"

She was backing him into a corner. Literally. His chair hit the wall and he had no way to escape. He had to think fast.

"I'd love to be in the photo, Rachel, but… you'd be standing and I'd be sitting, and it would throw off the whole composition," he was rambling. And doing a bad job. He flailed his hands and his voice was a little too quick.

Rachel though for a split second, then added, "I'll lean over!"

_Drat._ He searched for an answer. He had to stall. "But... if you lean over…" he looked around, hoping for a way out. Somehow he thought of one. "it'll look like you have stomach rolls!" He finished quickly. Ha, he knew Rachel valued her appearance, especially in the yearbook.

She looked horrified, straightening up. "On second thought, I don't think that you're leadership material, Artie!"

He adamantly shook his head, "Follower," he emphasized, pointing to his face. He slipped past her, rejoining the hallway. He knew Rachel would be searching for her next victim. He saw Tina coming down the stairs. Crap, Tina didn't deserve this torture. He looked around quickly, and spotted Brittany.

"Hey Rachel, I see Brittany down the hall, you should ask her!" He quickly added, pointing down the hallway, trying to distract Rachel from her radar-like tracking ability.

Without a word, Rachel took off. He sighed, feeling bad for Brittany, but it was for Tina. He watched Rachel catch up to Brittany and smiled slightly. He knew Brittany wouldn't really be bothered. He glanced up at Where Tina would be turning the corner off the stairs. Good, she hadn't noticed.

But she had noticed something. As Tina came down the stairs, she saw Artie down at the bottom. And he was smiling after… was that Brittany? Tina's heart nearly stopped. Maybe that Crazy in Love choreography had gotten to him after all. She sighed to herself. She should have expected this. He really was over her.

Tina watched carefully during glee rehearsal. Every time he even looked in Brittany's direction (which, if she was being rational, was about as often as he looked everywhere else), she was more and more certain that he had successfully moved on.

Later, Rachel called a meeting of some sort for all the glee kids. Reluctantly, everyone showed up. But, oddly enough, she didn't have bad news. They were going to be in a mattress commercial. The entire club erupted in excited chatter. Tina, who was sitting next to Artie, could hear him babbling about getting nice black suspenders. _God, he's so cute_. She mentally sighed. She had to stop being such a lovesick puppy and get over it. He wasn't hers anymore.

But Artie's mind went elsewhere. With Tina so close, he couldn't help but think about what he had pondered the night before. He needed to tell her how he felt (or at least what he had convinced himself that he felt). Plus, Mercedes would probably 'take him to the carpet' if he stalled any longer.

When the meeting was over, he turned to face Tina.

"Hey, Tina" Artie intercepted her before she could rush out of the room like she had been the past few days. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Tina felt a rush when he spoke to her. She didn't know whether to feel excited or nervous. Was he finally willing to talk about what happened in the halls of McKinley that night? Or was he going to tell her to back off and let him pursue other girls? She just didn't know, so she just nodded and lingered like she used to, waiting for him to gather his things. She sat on one of the maroon plastic chairs, watching him anxiously. Finally he faced her, and wheeled a little closer.

"Can we be friends again, Tee?" He paused. Since Tina gave no immediate response, he assumed that was an invitation to explain himself. He sighed quietly and continued. "I mean I want things to go back to the way they were before." Before she got the wrong idea, he added quietly, "you know… _before_ before." He looked over his glasses, his expression slightly worried.

"Sounds good to me," Tina forced a smile. What she really meant was _better than nothing_. She understood. When he meant before, he meant before they were romantically interested in each other. Problem was, she knew that the point when she started to really like Artie came much earlier than when he returned the sentiment. Maybe this was him asking permission to move on. Seemed like a reasonable conclusion. Tina tried not to look devastated. She did an okay job at it.

Artie smiled slightly, too. He could sense something was wrong, but he was sure things would be better tomorrow. They were shooting a commercial; it was going to be fun. And maybe they could have fun together again. He offered to accompany her home, but she quietly refused, making up an excuse that Artie could see right through. Maybe this hadn't been the right choice. But there was nothing he could do about it for now. So he left her there.

As Tina watched him exit, a last glace cast over his shoulder, she sighed sadly to herself. Maybe this was the way it was going to be now. Pretending nothing ever happened between them. At least being friends was better than being awkward acquaintances as they had been the past couple weeks. If it meant that he would look at her with the same joy that he used to, then it would have to be enough for her. Even if she couldn't be with him, she wouldn't have to live completely without him.

Listless, Tina sat in the empty music room for a while longer, trying to rationalize that this was a good thing. And somehow she stumbled onto the one memory she really wished she could ignore.

It was when Mr. Shue was going to leave the school to take a new, better-paying job. And glee club was going to be over, yet Finn surprised everyone by bringing everyone together. He assigned everyone jobs to do- except Tina. But when Rachel came back with choreography, Tina did end up with a special job. Or at least Rachel made it sound as special as possible to make Tina feel better about being basically passed over by Finn. Tina was supposed to push the wheelchair-bound guitarist during his solo. Tina sighed. She didn't judge Artie like some of the other kids in school did, but pushing wheelchair kid wasn't exactly a special job.

But then they finally got a full rehearsal together. They performed Don't Stop Believing in the empty auditorium. When it came around to Artie's guitar solo, Tina made her way over to his chair, and spun him around as he completely rocked the solo. She couldn't help but smile. He looked so focused on the performance, totally unaware that he was finally in the spotlight. And he did a really good job on the solo, to boot.

When the song was over, they heard the lonely applause of Mr. Shue, who had heard them on his way out. And then came the good news that he was going to stay on as the director.

Everyone celebrated on stage, giving high-fives and laughing happily. But then Tina felt a touch on her arm, causing her to turn around rather quickly to see Artie sitting beside her. He was smiling up at her.

_Wow he has a nice smile._

"Thanks, Tina." He softly spoke, not wanting to interrupt the boisterous celebration of Rachel and Mercedes. When his words were met with a confused look, he sheepishly cast his eyes down at his lap. "I can't play and move at the same time. So thanks." He looked back up at her, slightly embarrassed.

_Wow… he has really pretty eyes…_

It took Tina a moment to snap out of her strange reverie and smile back. "N-no p-p-problem, A-Artie."

She was smitten.

**A/N:** _I ended up writing this chapter backwards. Lulz._


	8. Jump

**A/N:** _It seems that, from looking at the responses I got, most people want the story to continue past sectionals. Though I've been playing with the idea of an "alternate ending" when the back 9 come out. The only concern I have is that, if these two finally get some screen time together, my story will be false, and continuing it in the context of the story will be very difficult. _

_Anyway, we'll see about the back nine later, but for now it looks like I'm continuing post-sectionals._

_And thank you to all my reviewers who leave such encouraging comments! I fly home tomorrow afternoon, so might not get a Friday update. Maybe if I finish all my final papers tonight I'll bust out another one. I'm excited to write for Sectionals, it gave me a lot of subtle material to work with._

_Oh, and some of you threw a lot of fanfiction terms at me that I had to look up, since this is my first actual piece of fanfic. But I think I know what they all mean now. Maybe._

_I enjoy interacting with you guys, so I'm going to post a QotU (Question of the Update)_

_So today's QotU is: What did you all think of Sectionals?_

**Chapter 8 : Jump**

They were all at Matressland, getting ready to shoot a local commercial. Everyone was actually pretty pumped about it. For a small town like Lima, being in any commercial was really a big break. No one would admit it, but Rachel did good.

In the women's restroom, all of the girls were getting into their light blue pajamas for the shoot, and making sure they looked their best. Even Tina was giggling and smiling with the other girls. For that moment, everything wrong with her life was pushed aside. She was determined to have fun that day, her feet swinging under her as she sat on the counter and helped Quinn fix her hair.

Mercedes noticed this change in her friend's demeanor, and swelled with victorious pride. Obviously the scrawny white boy had finally stepped up and fixed things. As the other girls were filing out, Mercedes cut Tina off.

"Spill it, girl!" Mercedes teased with a big smile. But when she was met with a face of genuine confusion, she crossed her arms and eyed Tina carefully. "Well, did you and Artie get back together or what?"

Tina nearly fell over with the blunt question. Her face darkened quickly. So much for her plan of forgetting about it. "What are you talking about, Mercedes? You didn't say anything to him, did you?"

Mercedes immediately regretted asking. If she wouldn't feel so bad about beating up a cripple, she would pummel Artie to a pulp. And now she had to lie again. "No, I just didn't think it would take so long for him to get over his pale self!"

Tina smiled weakly. "We're friends again."

"That's it? Just friends?" Mercedes leaned forward, inspecting Tina's face. Something didn't seem quite right. "And you're okay with this?"

Mercedes was met with dull eyes as Tina looked back at her. Tina didn't want to ruin this day. This wasn't the time to sulk about Artie any more; it was time to be happy glee club. Tina pushed past Mercedes. When she got to the door of the restroom, her hand hovered over the door handle. She turned to a stunned Mercedes and quietly replied, "Do I have much of a choice?"

Tina made her way to the vanity mirrors where everyone was double checking their hair and make-up. Time to put on her happy face again. "I can't believe we're finally breaking into the biz!" she said to no one in particular.

But apparently Rachel though it was to her, as she gave a semi-inspirational, but totally unnecessary speech about being together as a team and whatnot. As if they would be getting movie deals from performing in a mattress commercial. At least Mercedes broke the awkward atmosphere with a not-very serious comment about shunning them ALL when she got her record deal, causing the rest of the glee clubbers to laugh.

Then, the mattressland owner and his brother-in-law director broke up the party, asking the kids to recite their lines. They were boring, forced, and flat. Though, Artie had to admit to himself that Puck wasn't half bad at this acting thing. Finn and Mercedes failed miserably, though. Luckily, Rachel saved the day once again by appealing to the owner, pointing out that, as a glee club, they should really be performing.

And then, they all knew. They would perform Jump on those huge mattresses. Artie couldn't help but feel a little left out, especially as the football players hoisted him and his wheelchair up onto a table at the back corner of one of the mattresses. He pushed away the jealousy as he watched Puck and Mike show their athleticism as they pulled flips and jumps that Artie could only dream of.

Quinn looked uncomfortable. Tina guessed that being pregnant and jumping around wasn't such a good idea. She gave the pregnant ex-cheerio a little nudge as they finished rolling off one of the mattresses to follow. They half ran, half danced back to the back corner where Artie sat.

"Artie!" Tina whispered as loud as she thought possible without cutting through the singing. Then again, Rachel was singing at the moment, so she could have yelled and no one would have noticed.

Artie was startled by the voice, and looked down to see Tina with Quinn. One look at Quinn's queasy face and he understood, offering a hand up. Tina scrambled up quickly, sitting down in front of Artie, trying to keep up with her part. Quinn settled beside her, mouthing a 'thank-you' to Tina before going back to singing.

Mercedes, who had the same singing part as Tina in the next section, struggled to find her amongst the rest of the baby blue glee kids. She finally spotted her and Quinn seated at Artie's feet and hopped up beside them just in time for Artie's short solo, which Tina, Quinn, and Mercedes echoed.

Tina looked back at Artie after his solo, a giddy smile stuck on her face. He smiled back, not quite as happy as the rest of them, but glad that he wasn't alone in the corner. That was, until Puck grabbed Tina to dance with him at the front. Then Artie was alone on the table again, with the super exciting job of holding a sign that said JUMP. But to his surprise, he had company yet again. And it was the absolute last person he would expect to be the least bit sympathetic to his plight. Santana. _Maybe she's not so evil after all_. She gave him a quick smile as she danged with him for a few moments before she had to hide. He couldn't really hide, so he turned the sign around to do the best he could. Finally he couldn't help but laugh. Even if he couldn't bounce around, it was still really silly. Especially as he watched the glee kids pop up one by one as Mercedes belted out a high vibrato note.

And then Artie felt hands on his arms as Rachel and Matt pulled him out of his wheelchair. Artie was scared shitless, until they dropped him on a mattress and started jumping beside him. He was bouncing. Goofy smile on his face and all.

Tina, who was running around the mattresses, suddenly noticed the empty wheelchair and panicked. But then, she saw what Rachel and Matt had done and she felt a huge swell of pride. She knew that would be a special moment for Artie, even if it was only a short moment in the haphazard performance and wouldn't even show on the commercial. He seemed to perform the rest of the song with much more enthusiasm, not minding the menial task he had been assigned. He waved that poster around like it was the best poster ever.

The song finally ended and they were directed to yell, "Come on down to Mattressland!"

Everyone giggled all the way back to the bathrooms where they changed back into their normal clothes. Tina sat on the counter again, waiting for the other girls to get their looks put back together. She was surprised to see Quinn lag behind the other girls, leaning on the counter next to her as everyone else made their way to the exit.

"Hey Tina… thanks. For what you did back there." Quinn said quietly, as if she wasn't allowed to be grateful.

Tina's smile softened. "Hey, it's no problem, Quinn. We're supposed to look out for each other, right?" She said happily. She really was happy to help Quinn. Though she couldn't really relate, she knew how awful it was to be an outcast at times, and Quinn had the physical misfortunes of being pregnant as well. Tina knew that this was one of those moments for Quinn. When she realized that she really did enjoy glee club, and wasn't just in it to keep and eye on Finn anymore. Quinn smiled back, and then headed off to catch up with Santana and Brittany to go home together. But before she left, she stopped, looking back at Tina. In a very Quinn-like manner, she took a breath and paused before speaking.

"I know I don't know you well enough to ask what I want to ask, but don't think that the entire club hasn't noticed." She paused again, realizing she sounded meaner than she intended. "So I hope things get better, okay?"

Tina assumed she was talking about the stutter. Tina was very wrong.

As Tina came out of the girls' bathroom, she found Artie gathering his things, getting ready to head home. She walked quickly over to him, smiling like an idiot. "Wasn't that great, Artie?"

He was startled to hear Tina coming at him. He had assumed everyone had left already. But he was pleased to see a happy Tina again. He nodded, "Yeah, it was pretty fun."

Tina pulled up one of those funny director chairs that they had all been sitting in earlier. "What Rachel and Matt did was really cool." She smiled over at him.

Artie looked down for a moment, a sheepish smile taking over his face. He laughed quietly, "Yeah, but scary as hell." He could hear her chuckle as well. Looking up, he added, "What you did for Quinn was really cool, too," flashing one of his big, brilliant smiles.

She toned down her grin into a half-smile. "Well I think she could use some support right now." Tina looked away, at nothing in particular. "And I think she's starting to warm up to us a little more."

"Yeah, and I think even Santana is having more fun that she'll admit. After Puck stole you away, she came to dance with me." He informed her, his eyes trying to find what Tina was looking at.

"Really? She's the last person I would expect to do that." Tina looked down at Artie in genuine surprise.

Artie laughed, "Me too! And she looked like she was… having fun." He nodded, looking up at Tina. But he was rudely interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. Startled, he grabbed it out of his bag, finding a new text in his inbox.

"Oh am I keeping your dad waiting, Artie? Sorry, you should go. I'm walking home anyway." Tina was a bit embarrassed. She had gotten a little carried away talking to Artie again. It was so natural; it was looking like the friend thing was going to be okay after all. While she couldn't help but swoon over his adorable Artie-isms (the way he adjusted his glasses when he was nervous, the way- when he was really excited- he smiled with his mouth open, and the oh-so-adorable confused face… just to name a few), she would settle for friendship over no Artie any day.

The aforementioned confused face suddenly looked at Tina as Artie shook his head. "No… looks like my dad can't pick me up now." He looked concerned.

"Something wrong?" Tina asked carefully. When Artie shook his head, she was slightly confused. She knew he didn't live too far from where they were, but he was wringing his hands nervously. Wait-no, it wasn't a nervous twitch. He was rubbing his palms together. Then she remembered something from when the glee kids were forced to be wheelchair-bound for a short time during the week, "Oh! Artie, where are your gloves?"

He looked up in surprise. Damn, she knew him too well. He sighed, "I left them at home so I didn't wear them in the commercial. Since I was getting picked up, I didn't think I would really need them…" He sighed. He apologized to his hands in advance for the abuse they where about to receive. "I don't live too far, it'll be okay," he lied. Well, it wasn't a total lie. He would make it, he just wouldn't feel his hands for a few days.

"Don't be stupid, Artie," Tina scolded, half-joking. She smiled, got out of her chair, and grabbed the handles on the back of his chair before he could protest. As she hung her bag on one of the handles along with his, she leaned her head down next to him, and said in a mock-serious tone,

"You're coming with me."


	9. Alone

**A/N:** _As always, thank you all for your reviews. As a special thanks, I answered each and every one of my reviewers personally in my own review. So if you want to see that, check the review section._

_My answer to last chapter's QotU: I though Sectionals was quite good. There was a lot I didn't expect, which is a good thing! I was dubious about the last number, having heard it on the album. Vocally, it's not that great, but when I saw it in the episode, I saw that it was all about the choreography. I look forward to writing about it!_

_This Chapter's QotU: Since I know nothing about you except what you think of me and my writing, my question is about you! So tell me where you're from and anything else you care to share about yourself. If you want to add something interesting, quirky, or funny about you, go for it!_

_I dunno how I feel about this chapter…_

_Usual Disclaimer_

**Chapter 9 : Alone**

Artie felt oddly self-conscious when Tina took control of the chair. It had been such a long time, he was pretty much used to propelling himself. As they went through the door of Mattressland out to the sidewalk, Artie looked back at Tina, who was still obviously giddy from the commercial shoot. She wasn't looking at him at that moment, so he took the time to really look at her for the first time since their "date". She was undeniably beautiful, especially when she was this happy. She might have been babbling about something, but Artie didn't really pay attention to that at all. When he didn't answer something, she finally looked down at him to see what was up. When she found him looking up at her already, she nearly tripped over herself, coming to a stop. He had one of his gentle smiles on his face, the one that was a step away from showing his perfect teeth. She felt her face get a little warm.

"Is… everything okay, Artie?" She decided to ask, trying to distract herself from those blue eyes.

"Yeah." He responded, still smiling. Finally he turned his torso back around to face forward. "It's just good to see you happy again, Tee."

Tina was silent for a moment, letting a smile come back to her face. She was about to give an appropriately cute response to that remark when there was a loud buzzing from the bags hanging off of the wheelchair. Tina looked at them with a puzzled look on her face. "It looks like… we both just got a text."

Artie reached for the bags first, grabbing his phone, then hers. "Mind if I check yours? I'm pretty sure they're from the same person." After a nod from Tina, he flipped open both phones to find the same message. "It's from Mercedes." He informed Tina, who was trying to walk and read over his shoulder at the same time. When he gasped, Tina stopped again. Before she could ask, Artie spoke up. "She says Puck is the father of Quinn's baby!"

Tina grabbed her phone like she didn't believe him. When she read the same message, she sighed and put the phone back in the bag on Artie's lap and continued walking. "Ask her how she knows. This had better not be some rumor that she caught on to from Jacob's blog!"

"One step ahead of you, Tee." He half chuckled, having sent that exact text about 30 seconds before Tina had a chance to say anything. His phone buzzed again after a minute, and he wasted no time opening the message. "She says Puck told her during the ballad assignment."

He looked back at Tina again, who was already looking down at him. They both were thinking the same thing. _This can't be good_.

They spent some time in silence. Both were a bit disappointed that their walk home together contained less chatting and more unpleasant revelations. Artie finally spoke up to give minor directions to his house. Once the silence was broken, it was like an open invitation to speak.

"Poor Finn," Artie finally said. "He'll be crushed if he finds out."

"It's not a matter of if, it's when. There's no way that will stay quiet." Tina added. "And poor Quinn. I can't imagine keeping that secret." She instantly realized that was a mistake as Artie stiffened slightly. Right, mention keeping long-term secrets from people you care about. Good job, Tina. But maybe… "Do you think Finn would forgive her if she told the truth?"

Artie did feel a wave of anger and betrayal as the memory of that night in the halls of McKinley. _Cool it, Artie. Things are okay now with Tina. You're friends again. _But Artie, being the typical male, didn't know that this conversation was suddenly turning into an extended metaphor for Tina and him.

"I'm not sure, I can imagine he'll be really angry. Maybe if she tells him herself before hearing it from someone else, it might be okay." He decided with a nod.

This answer didn't really helpful for Tina, so she decided to be more blunt. She would bet ten dollars he wouldn't get it still, which was a good thing. "What would you do in his situation?"

"If Quinn Fabray was my girlfriend?" he laughed. "She could run me over with a bus and I'd probably beg her to stay." He continued to chuckle, but Tina's face turned dark.

That sure answered a lot of questions. Tina's speculation continued as they continued walking. He must not have ever really liked her. He was just settling for her because she was disabled, too, and he assumed neither of them could do any better.

Artie noticed that Tina had become quiet again. Confused at this reaction, he decided to try and get her talking about. "So what about you? What if you were in Quinn's position?"

Tina sighed, "Well if I really really cared about him, I would tell him the truth when I was sure I could trust him with it."

Artie found this answer kind of strange and unrelated to Quinn, Finn, and the baby drama. But he had no time to question it, because they had arrived at his house. He suddenly realized that she was going to be walking home alone. "You okay to get home, Tee?" He asked out of real concern. It was getting a little late, and since it was winter, the sun was setting earlier.

"Yeah, it's fine." She answered quietly, forcing at least a half-smile on her face. "I'm just a little ways back that way" she pointed the way they came.

Artie realized that she had gone out of her way for him, and he felt a pang of guilt. She was so considerate, pushing him here just because he forgot his protective gloves, and yet he was going to let her walk home alone? "You sure you don't want me to come with you? I can go get my gloves; it'll just take me a minute…"

Tina shook her head. "I'll be fine. Goodbye, Artie." She turned rather quickly. That goodbye had meant something to her. It was time for her to get over him.

As soon as the door shut behind Artie, it hit him like a brick. _Oh! Oh shit…_ He replayed the conversation in his head, and felt like ramming his head into the wall. Wow, he was thick. He sped to his room as fast as possible, grabbed his gloves, and was out the door again as fast as he could. He pulled on his gloves one at a time with his teeth as he propelled himself in the direction that Tina had pointed, making sure to look down every side street in case she turned. When he got his second glove on as best as he could, he speed down the sidewalk until he turned and managed to see the familiar raven and blue hair walking down the street.

"Tee!" He shouted. He saw her hesitate. "Tina, wait!" She turned. Was she crying? She waited for him down the street as he wheeled towards her. When he got close enough to see the surprised and pained look on her face, he tried to offer her a smile. He felt so terrible.

"What are you doing here, Artie?" she managed quietly, not letting her voice falter.

He tried to look as dignified as possible. "What kind of a gentleman would I be letting you walk home alone in the freezing cold? Chivalry isn't dead," he said, trying to get a smile out of his friend.

After a moment his mission was a success, Tina allowed herself to smile a little. It wasn't even cold at all. Inwardly, her resolve was breaking. He would have to stop being Artie before she could really get over him like she wanted to so badly. She looked over at him as they started walking towards her place, "Thanks, Artie."

He sighed, knowing what he had to do. He gave an extra push on his chair so he cut her off. Turning to face her, his face became sad, the usual smile nowhere to be found. Tina looked like she was about to speak, but he held up a gloved hand. "Tee… what I said before about Quinn… I didn't really mean it that way. I guess the idea of me and Quinn Fabray dating was too ridiculous." He stopped for a moment, looking down at his feet. He wished he had more time to think about this. But he had to look up and continue. "I'm pretty sure I'd disown her as a person if she hit me with a bus," he said as seriously as he could, hoping to get some positive reaction from his friend. In this he was only slightly successful. He looked away. He couldn't bear to see her face when he said what he said next, "Tina, I would forgive her eventually. But I don't think I'd be able to date her anymore…"

Tina watched him carefully. He seemed uncomfortable. She nodded to no one, "I understand, Artie," she nearly whispered. She mumbled something about being at her house as she turned into a house with a fence and gate that was slightly open. Before she got too far away from Artie, she turned back to him. "Do you forgive me, Artie?"

He was looking down at his messily gloved hands. He didn't look up at her, but managed to reply, "Tina… you're my friend. My best friend. But…" he looked up at her, as she was about to go through the gate of the house. He gazed at her for a moment. He needed to be honest. "no. Not yet."

"I understand," she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

She waited for Artie to wheel out of sight before leaving the yard of the strange house. Her house was all the way on the other side of Mattressland. But she didn't want him to know exactly how far out of the way she was willing to go for him.

The next day at school, Tina convinced herself that nothing had changed from the day before. Things had just become more clear. Artie had even called her his best friend. That was an improvement of 'just friends' right? Well, it didn't matter. Tina had resolved to suffer in silence and just enjoy having Artie around, in whatever capacity. And she also decided to accept Kurt and Mercedes' open invitation to hang out with them more.

But as she came in to glee club, taking her place beside Artie, she and the rest of the kids were hit with bad news. They were on their own for sectionals- without Mr. Shue.


	10. Can't Fight This Feeling

**A/N: **_Thanks everybody for posting their answer to last chapter's QotU! If you haven't answered Chapter 9's QotU yet, do that asap! It's cool to 'meet' you guys. I guess I need to post my answer!_

_Hey everybody, I'm Clydae (no that's not my real name, but most people just call me Cly), and I'm a sophomore biochemistry undergraduate student in California, USA (though Arizona is my home)! I turn 20 on the 15__th__, so… 4 days from now! When I'm not doing science, I work as a freelance graphic designer._

_And Swimsnail, I totally hear you! I'm so annoyed that FOX practically dropped the Artie/Tina storyline off the table entirely. Unless they do some major flashbacks, they're going to have a hard time making up ground. Because they're totally cool with each other post-wheels, as if nothing ever happened. Hopefully with less baby drama, there will be some room for them to have their storyline back!_

_Sorry everybody for the angst that just seems to keep coming. Especially last chapter. But not to worry, it only will make their bond stronger in the end, I think. It's got to get worse before it can really get better. I don't think this chapter will have too much angst… from Tina and Artie anyway. There's a lot of angst from Finn, but you all knew that already._

_Hmm for this QotU: If you could have a crossover with Glee and any other fandom of your choice, which would you pick?_

_And wow I can't believe it's the tenth chapter already!_

**Chapter 10 : Can't Fight This Feeling**

This was bad. Rachel was onto it. The rest of the glee clubbers were keeping Puck's secret to themselves perfectly well, but apparently Rachel is 'a little bit psychic'. And if she was onto it, she was going to do something about it. Not to mention, Finn would absolutely flip out and ruin their chances to place at sectionals.

Luckily, Mr. Shue found a replacement faculty advisor for the club, which was a good temporary distraction from the imminent baby drama explosion. No one was really surprised when Ms. Pillsbury was the one taking over for Mr. Shue, since they were obviously pining after each other like high school kids. After a sad goodbye from Mr. Shue, the club had to come up with their set list- and fast.

"Well… we have to do Proud Mary in wheelchairs," Artie piped up quickly "That's in." No one disagreed to that; everyone knew how much that number meant to Artie. It was the one number where he was more mobile then the rest of the club.

"And Don't Stop Belivin' for sure," Finn added.

"What about the ballad?" Tina asked hesitantly. Of course, Rachel Berry got up and stood by Ms. Pillsbury, and prepared to sing some random selection that she had in her head. Tina hung her head slightly. The original set list ended with True Colors- her ballad. To have Rachel take the spot yet again was sort of a knife to the heart. Artie looked over at her, noticing the disappointed look in her face. He knew that song meant a lot to her, too. Artie considered saying something, but then Mercedes got up.

"Okay you know what, miss bossy-pants? Enough. I've worked just as hard as you, and I'm just as good as you. You know, you always end up stealing the spotlight!" She ranted as she made her way to the floor by Rachel.

"Mercedes, do you honestly believe you're as strong a balladeer as I am?" Rachel retorted.

Mercedes looked back at the rest of the club, mouthing, 'balladeer?' while everyone else shrugged. Mercedes looked like she was going to kill someone. Fortunately, Ms. Pillsbury came in to save the day.

"Um, Rachel, why don't you let Mercedes give it a try?" She nodded quickly as Rachel agreed.

After thanking the guidance counselor, Mercedes turned to the various instrumentalists around her giving very vague instructions. But then the music started for I am Telling You.

It was one of the most electrifying performances that the rest of the glee kids had witnessed. Tina and Kurt were giving all the encouragement they could as she belted out the R&B ballad with all the soul of a true performer. As she got over a long vibrato hold, Matt and Mike and the cheerios were on their feet. By the end, everyone else had also gotten to their feet (with the obvious exception of Artie, though he was equally as excited).

Catching her breath, Mercedes eyed Rachel. "Thoughts?" It was more of a challenge than a question, but Rachel made her way over to Mercedes and congratulated her, looking forward to hearing the song at sectionals.

"I'm going to hug you now," Rachel said awkwardly before stepping forward to embrace the other Mercedes, who giggled at her overly dramatic co-star.

As the meeting ended, everyone hung around except for Finn, who was followed by Rachel. But it wasn't long until they were back.

Finn came in like an 800 pound gorilla, and took Puck down in one punch. Everyone gasped and stood up, backing away from the horror that was before them. Tina instinctively grabbed Artie's shoulder out of fear, his location next to her very convenient for this sort of thing. Without really thinking, Artie took her hand and gave it a pull, bringing her behind him. It was a strange protective impulse, but his hand never left hers, which was still resting on his shoulder. But the monster that was once their friend Finn was a raging beast, repeatedly punching Puck on the floor. Ms. Pillsbury ran and yelled for Mr. Shue, who came running in to break it up.

Mr. Shue managed to get Finn off, at which point Mike and Matt stepped in, restraining the flailing Finn.

Then after a tearful confession from Quinn, the truth was out. And Finn was gone. Good job, Rachel.

**A/N: **_I wrote this chapter in the airport. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is! I know the chapter is short, but the past few have been way longer than normal, so I guess this makes up for it? The next chapter should be packed with Tina/Artie goodness._


	11. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**A/N:**_ Oh man, Char-chan, another Zonie? *high five* I'll be back in Phoenix in about…80 minutes (. I'm glad I checked my email one more time before boarding so I could see your review!_

_That's right, fools. Forget what I said at the end of the last update, I'm writing this chapter on. the. airplane. Because I'm just awesome like that. Plus I felt bad for posting such a short update, so here's another relatively short chapter, but I think you'll like it._

_QotU: What is your least favorite part of airport travel?_

_My answer to last chapter's QotU is really undecided. I've laughed at the Glee-Twilight crossovers. I'm not a big fan of Twilight, but the two are so ridiculously different, they make for really funny crossovers._

**Chapter 11 : You Can't Always Get What You Want**

Artie sat patiently as the chair lift on the expensive special bus lifted him up into the vehicle. At the top he was met by Puck, who seemed to be no worse for wear, despite the pummeling he had received the day before. Mr. Shue shut the side door and gave it a farewell pat as everyone looked out the window with worried looks on their faces. They were bringing that annoying Jacob kid with them to serve as a twelfth member to avoid getting disqualified by the lack of a Finn.

They arrived to sectionals on time, just to be informed that they were performing last. Artie didn't really mind, he liked being able to size up the competition before performing. It would give them more motivation.

As they filed in to the auditorium, Artie made a strange request. He wanted to sit with everybody in the row, not in the back on his wheelchair. The girls surprisingly agreed without question, seating him between Mercedes and Brittany who were strong enough to lift Artie over the other chairs. He was pleased with himself, being a part of the group. The bus ride was one step, then this. He really felt like he belonged more than ever. Settling in to his chair, Artie looked forward to watching Jane Adams, even if they shook their… assets a little too much for his liking.

But when the second number came along and the music for I Am Telling You began to play, Artie froze. He didn't dare turn his head, but he looked wide-eyed at Mercedes next to him out of the corner of his eye. He felt like if he disturbed her too much, she would explode like a nuclear bomb.

But then… Artie's soul died a little inside. The Jane Adams girls came out in wheelchairs. And he vaguely heard Proud Mary above the pounding in his head.

"We have a problem! They're doing all of our numbers, the kids are completely freaking out! Artie keeps ramming into the wall and I'm pretty sure Jacob just wet himself," Ms. Pillsbury frantically informed Mr. Shue over the phone. They had an hour before going out to watch Haverbrook… and they knew what they would hear.

Tina was sitting beside a depressed Mercedes, trying to comfort her as best as she could. Mercedes looked over at Tina, her eyes puffy and red. But she frowned at her comforting friend. "Girl, what the hell are you doin' over here with me?" She said quietly. Tina looked a little shocked, so Mercedes jerked her head towards the wheelchair-wall conflict. Tina bit her lip, and looked back to Mercedes.

"I know how much that song meant to you, Mercedes…"

"Oh hush, I only decided to do that song yesterday. We've been planning to do Proud Mary with Artie for weeks. It means more to him than my song meant to me." Mercedes looked over at Artie, who was in so much emotional pain, everyone else in glee was as far away from his as possible, fearing to upset him further. "And I know it meant a lot to you, too." Mercedes continued. Tina looked down for a moment. This was true, if it weren't for the wheelchair number she would have never gotten that close to Artie. Mercedes cut off her thoughts, "You're the only one that can make him feel better, Tina. He needs you." She eyed him seriously.

"Plus, I got this covered," Kurt said, coming up behind the couch that they were sitting on. Tina gave a weak nod, and looked over at Artie.

As she got up and slowly approached him, it seemed like the entire glee club was watching. They all tried to pretend they were looking somewhere else, but their attention was turned to their crippled friend. Tina reached Artie's side, trying to get a good look at his face. She couldn't see much, but his face was definitely red. From tears or anger, she couldn't be quite sure. Bending over a bit awkwardly, Tina hesitantly put her hand on Artie's back. "Artie…" she said, just above a whisper. No response.

As Tina sighed, she felt a light touch on her arm. She turned around to see Quinn, who had carried over one of the office chairs from the conference table across the room. Quinn smiled lightly, looking between Tina and Artie. It was then that Tina realized that what Quinn had said in the Mattressland bathroom wasn't about her stutter, but about Artie. Tina nodded and mouthed a silent 'thank you' as Quinn backed away to give them space.

Tina sat down in the chair, finally level with Artie. She watched him for a moment. It looked like he was crying with no tears. Her heart ached to see him like this. Usually Artie was the picture of optimism, but now he was in a dark place where Tina had never seen him before.

He felt the comforting hand return to his back yet again. He didn't have to look to know that it was Tina. He knew he was scaring the rest of his glee club friends, but he really didn't care. The hand left for a moment, and he feared that she had left him there. He wouldn't blame her, but it wasn't something she would do. But then he felt her hand touch his arm.

"Artie…" She soothed again. "I'm so sorry, Artie." She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for, but it seemed like the right thing to say at the time. When he continued, she felt slightly defeated. But determination raged on, as she went back to softly rubbing his back. "It's okay if you don't want to talk, Artie. But… just know I'm here for you." She whispered softly.

Artie slowed to a stop, head still hanging limply. Tina took the opportunity to move her hand up to the nape of his neck, where she played with his hairline. "I'll be okay, Artie. Somehow we'll be okay," she continued to whisper, scooting closer to him, so her chair was flush against the wheel of his chair. Artie was stopped all together, obviously thinking of what to do next. Tina was close enough now that he simply leaned to the side, resting his head on her shoulder. She smiled softly, and decided to take a little risk. She reached over and gently took off his glasses, folding them in her lap. Reaching around to his shoulders, she hugged him to her the best that she could.

Artie followed limply at first, as if he was just a lifeless puppet. But when she gave him a gentle squeeze, it was like it ignited the emotions that had been buried up until that point. He finally responded, hiding his face in Tina's shoulder, but his arms found their way around her waist. He was suddenly shaking with tearless sobs, and Tina was whispering anything soothing she could think of in his ear, one of her hands now in his soft hair. It was then that Tina chanced a glace around the room. Everyone was watching them until they saw Tina's eyes, at which point the looked just about anywhere else. She smiled slightly. For being such good performers, these glee kids could be bad actors.

Her attention was quickly redirected back to Artie as he managed to clear his throat of all the sobs. He took a deep breath, and without removing his head from her shoulder he spoke, oh so very softly,

"Thank you, Tee."

**A/N: **_Want to know how dedicated I am to this story's believability? I asked an old man in a wheelchair for a hug while I was sitting in a chair at the airport to make sure it was physically possible. I just love my readers that much._


	12. Don't Rain on My Parade

**A/N: **_This chapter was neither written in an airport nor on an airplane, but I think you'll like it. Or at least I hope so. And I'm glad you all enjoyed my old man hugging adventure. Sometimes when I describe poses in detail, I'll make one of my friends help me to make sure that they are entirely possible. Nothing is more awkward when, in a story, you read about two people in a pose together, doing things that are physically impossible. Or maybe it's just me._

_My answer to the last QotU: I hate waiting for my checked luggage after I get off the plane. It's like, I've been sitting in an uncomfortable plane for n hours, how long do I have to stand around waiting for my bag?_

_And for this QotU: What was/is your favorite subject in high school?_

**Chapter 12 : Don't Rain on My Parade**

Ms. Pillsbury came back into the waiting room after her phone call with Mr. Shue to find the room just as glum as she had left it. At least Artie wasn't assaulting the wall with his chair anymore. She smiled, seeing Tina hold Artie to her as if she never wanted to let go. She sure knew that feeling. Sighing, Ms. Pillsbury faced the rest of the club, announcing that it was time to watch Haverbrook. Hesitantly, she turned towards Tina, and said softly, "You don't have to if you don't want to," she eyed Artie as she spoke.

Artie lifted his head off of Tina's shoulder and shook his head. He wasn't going to be left out anymore. "No, I'll go." He said quietly, and wheeled away from the wall, avoiding looking at any of the other glee club kids. He did chance looking over at Tina, who was watching him carefully. He smiled a little, and was rewarded in Tina mirroring the gesture.

They went out to watch Haverbrook just as they did with Jane Adams. But as the deaf choir opened with Don't Stop Believing, Rachel stood up in rage, announcing a meeting back in the green room. They all filed out of the concert hall, feeling completely defeated.

When they were all back in the room, Kurt was the first one to bring up what they were all thinking. The cheerios leaked the set list to Ms. Sylvester. Brittany fessed up, but everyone knew she was completely innocent. She would never be that vindictive. Then Santana spoke up, going to the center of the room.

"Okay, look. Believe what you want, but no one's forcing me to be here. And if you ever tell anyone this, I'll deny it, but I like being in glee club." Santana was only met with incredulous looks. "It's the best part of my day, okay? I wasn't going to go and mess it up." And with that she went over to sit down, getting mixed responses from the other glee kids, most of which just looked depressed.

"I believe you," Rachel finally spoke. But she changed the subject, pointing out that they had to go on in an hour.

"And we have no songs," Tina pointed out. Artie responded with the suggestion of improvising some poetry jams, to which Tina shook her head, trying not to smile.

Rachel ignored this, and turned to Mercedes for a new ballad. Again Tina was a little peeved that True Colors didn't come up in the conversation, but Mercedes pointed out that Rachel was the best singer that they had. Kurt agreed, if anyone was going to go out there and just do it, it should be Rachel. Quinn made the suggestion of ending with Somebody to Love, but then Puck reminded them that they needed a third song that they could all sing.

And it was that moment that Finn Hudson decided to walk through the door, sheet music in his hands. "I have one," he spoke like he had been there the whole time. The tension in the room was palpable, everyone just stared blankly. He explained that he used then abused the cheerio copying machine, and handed out parts to everyone, assigning Mike, Matt, Brittany, and Santana to work out choreography. And then he very politely ousted Jacob.

The four newly-assigned choreographers went over to the table where Artie and Tina sat. Artie gladly turned away from the love quadrangle that was going on over on the other side of the room. He also wanted to make sure he wasn't left out of the choreography, of course. While everyone else was excitedly learning their parts and the dance moves, Artie quietly tore off a part of his sheet music, turning it over and stealing one of the many pens that had been procured for editing the music. He quickly scribbled something on the back of the paper, and then folded it tightly to hide it away.

It was time to get ready, and everyone but Artie went to wait in the lobby. Artie had to go offstage since he couldn't walk up the stage, but before he did, he lagged behind in the waiting room, slipping the tiny note into a familiar black bag.

Before they knew it, it was show time. Rachel absolutely killed her ballad, Don't Rain on My Parade. And it was oddly fitting, Artie thought. As was You Can't Always Get What You Want, actually. He smiled slightly to himself as he saw Rachel finally get on the stage, shortly followed by the rest of the glee kids. He quickly rolled himself out next to Kurt, trying to be discreet about coming from stage right as opposed to the aisles.

The performance wasn't perfect, but that was to be expected, having only sent the music an hour before. But they really pulled it off.

After their set was over, the glee kids hunted down the judging room. Artie was handed a random cup from somewhere and put in charge of eavesdropping. Pressing his ear to the cup on the door, he listened as the judges seemed to talk about the other two groups more than theirs. And one judge just seemed bitter. He sighed, coming off the door. "It doesn't sound good, guys," he said quietly, turning around only to see the director of Jane Adams. They all glared at her with everything they had, especially Artie. She admitted that she had cheated, and went to go tell the judges, but the judges came out at that same moment, already making their decision.

They filed into the auditorium one more time, but this time without Ms. Pillsbury, who had to leave early for some other engagement. The announcer came onto the stage, and everyone crossed their fingers. Tina switched places with Brittany so she could sit by Artie while they announced the winners.

Third place went to Haverbrook. Tina grabbed Artie's hand in anticipation, giving it a gentle squeeze as she looked over at him. He was grinning like a fool, happy to not be last. They all seemed to hold their breath as the announcer took his merry time to announce the runner-up.

Jane Adams. The McKinley kids all stood up and cheered, they had won. Artie wanted to clap, but one of his hands was still otherwise occupied. And he decided to keep it that way.

The bus ride home was a buzz of excitement. The trophy was passed around as everyone marveled at it. They had actually done it. Hugs were passed around, and this time Santana was not ashamed. Rachel encouraged Mercedes to sing And I Am Telling You on the ride home. Then, they sang Proud Mary. They weren't all rolling around in wheelchairs, but it still made Artie feel better about leaving it out in the competition. After that was done, Rachel looked like she was searching for what to sing next when Artie spoke up.

"What about True Colors?" Everyone looked at him quizzically, as if they had forgotten it entirely. Artie looked at Tina, who just stared at him. "It was going to be our ballad, remember?"

Rachel looked like a ghost, her hands over her mouth. "Oh my God, Tina, I'm so sorry!" she got up on the moving bus, but was soon bumped back into her seat as they went over a rough patch of road.

"It's okay, you did better anyway, Rachel," Tina said flatly, still eyeing Artie. She had assumed everyone had forgotten about her one real solo. But of course Artie would remember. She was a bit embarrassed, but Finn started everyone off with the background singing. Artie smiled at her and nodded slightly as Tina began to sing the lead.

The rest of the ride back to McKinley included some more casual jams from the past; including the cheerios' audition song, which the other kids hadn't heard before. Quinn even let Finn and Rachel sing No Air, since Ms. Sylvester never let them perform it for the rest of the club.

They finally arrived back at McKinley, agreeing to let Rachel take the trophy home for the night (she wouldn't let go of it anyway). They exchanged more hugs and high-fives as everyone went their separate ways. Before Artie wheeled off to go with his dad, Tina lightly touched his shoulder, grabbing his attention.

"Thanks, Artie." She said shyly, looking down at his hands. "For the bus thing…" she trailed off, pushing a strand of her curled raven hair behind her ear.

Artie smiled up at her, wheeling a little closer, "You have nothing to thank me for, Tina." He paused as she looked at him with a face of confusion. Turning around, he called back, "I still owe you big time."

She watched him wheel around the corner to presumably meet up with his dad to get a ride home. Tina looked around, finding herself in solitude. She sighed and started walking home. When she was about halfway there, she could hear more than feel her phone buzz in her bag. But as she opened it, a small piece of paper dropped to the cement. She unfolded it to find that it was a corner of sheet music. Puzzled, she turned it over out of curiosity. What she found there made her heart stop.

_I forgive you._


	13. My Life Would Suck Without You

**A/N:** _Thanks everybody for your lovely comments, they really do keep me writing! And when I get a lot of reviews, it makes me want to write the next chapter that much faster. That, and when I get an idea of what I want in the next chapter I want to write it as soon as I can before I forget._

_This chapter marks the end of the fall season and the start of my original content. In celebration, I give you an extra long update._

_My answer to last QotU: I loved loved loved Chemistry in high school. I still do, but that was like my favorite class ever. I took 2 years of it, and it really got me interested in the field that I study now._

_Skates16: I totally hear you, I always hated that part of English in high school. You'd have to learn how each teacher wants an essay to be. The same essay would get you and A with one teacher and a C with the next. Luckily for me, my senior year AP English teacher knocked some sense into me and got me excited about writing again._

_This time, on QotU: When you first saw Glee, who was your LEAST favorite character?_

**Chapter 13 : My Life Would Suck Without You**

On Monday, when it was time for glee to rehearse, all of the kids were chattering with excitement. Mr. Shue had been allowed to return as director, but he didn't know that they had won yet. The glee kids gathered in the choir room, hiding Artie and the Trophy behind Finn and Tina. While they waited for Mr. Shue, Tina peeked behind her to see Artie admiring the trophy up close. She smiled slightly at the childish look on his face, but then not-so-stealthily slipped a folded piece of paper between Artie's half-gloved hand and the shiny trophy. Startled, he looked up at her, but she had already turned around, obviously trying to seem as though she didn't do it. Shaking his head, he opened the folded paper quickly and read it.

_After school, you're coming with me to the park._

_Mercedes and Kurt are coming, too._

He folded it back up with a little smile. Touching her arm with his fingertips, he managed to get her attention back. When she finally looked at him, he nodded quickly. She smiled, nodded, and looked back just in time to see Mr. Shue come through the door.

They presented the trophy via Rachel pushing Artie to where Mr. Shue sat. She pulled him back a little too forcefully, and Tina chuckled to herself as he looked a little disoriented. Pushing Artie had some sensitive details involved that Tina was pretty sure only she and his family were fully aware of.

After fully admiring the trophy and giving one of his typical pep talks, Mr. Shue was ready to start rehearsal, when Puck, of all people, spoke up. They had one more thing for him.

They really didn't have sheet music or anything; they had just found the song and found a way to sing it all together. The vocals weren't all that great, but the value in the performance rested in the choreography. They took bits of choreography from just about every number they had performed, eliciting smiles and laughs from their director. Brittany, Kurt, and Tina even did part of the Single Ladies dance; Quinn, Brittany, and Santana danced their Say a Little Prayer; and they all even did parts from their mash ups. The performance as a whole was touching, but everyone seemed distracted by the lyrics. Even Mr. Shue looked like he was thinking of something- or someone else. It seemed to be a great success anyway, even though Mr. Shue went running out the door.

After rehearsal, Tina lagged behind as usual to wait for Artie. She sat on the piano bench this time, watching him gather his things. She didn't say anything, she just watched him go about his business. He looked up at her once, but also said nothing. He flashed a smile before wheeling over to make sure the band equipment was secure. It was an oddly comfortable silence. When he was done, he over again, finally breaking the silence. "Ready to go?" he asked, headed towards the door.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," she smiled, catching up to him as he wheeled out the door.

They were silent again as they headed towards the exit of McKinley. Artie pushed forward a little faster, getting to the door before his friend, opening the door for her. "After you," he said, voice dripping in sarcastic chivalry.

She snorted. "Oh why thank you sir knight," she responded in an equally sarcastic damsel voice, though doing a bad job hiding her giggles.

He laughed as he followed her out and down the ramp. "You know, it's not very ladylike to snort like that," he spoke between soft chuckles.

"Oh really, well how about this?" She playfully pushed the back of his chair, sending him down the ramp a bit quicker than he intended.

"I'm going to go with… no," he said turning around after quickly grinding to a halt at the bottom of the ramp. He put on a fake frown, "Now that's just not right. You just pushed the wheelchair kid!"

Tina smirked, sauntering down the ramp until she was in front of him. _Just go for it, Tina. _She leaned over, resting her hands on the arms of his wheelchair, putting her face by his. "I know. I'm just bad like that," she said lowly. She then stood up, slid past him and kept walking.

Artie swallowed hard. _Oh now that was just mean_. He turned around, watching her walk away like nothing had ever happened.

"Well? You coming, wheelchair boy?" she called back, a smirk still plastered on her face as she looked over her shoulder.

"Uhhh… yeah, yeah, wait up!" Artie was still out of sorts by that very… VERY close encounter with Tina. _Stop staring, Artie. You're done with that, remember? _But this time Artie ignored his conscience, a goofy smile taking over his face as he followed Tina down the sidewalk to the park.

As he caught up with her, he tried to forget what had just happened. Failing miserably, he decided to strike up a normal conversation again. "So, where are Mercedes and Kurt?" He asked, finally remembering that this wasn't just going to be the two of them at the park again.

"Kurt needed to go get something, they'll meet us here," she said as she found a suitable park bench to sit on, making sure she sat on the very edge as Artie pulled up beside her.

Not long after, they saw Mercedes and Kurt approaching, a tray of drinks from the nearby 7-11 in Kurt's hands. "Hey guys," Artie greeted happily. "What's with the drinks, Kurt?" He asked, though he didn't really know what occasion warranted this gathering in the first place.

Kurt gave his trademark half-smile as he handed out the slushies. "I think it's appropriate for the four of us to celebrate together." He held up his cup. "To us- the four members of glee club who were there from the beginning, and never quit."

They all thought about for a moment, realizing that he was right. Rachel quit for the play, and Finn left on multiple occasions for football and baby drama. They all held up their cups too, touching the plastic together in a mock toast. Mercedes and Kurt sat down then, as they four took a silent moment, sipping at their drinks.

"Can you believe we actually did it? Win at sectionals, I mean," Tina broke the silence, looking out at the park around them, her elbows on her knees.

"No. Not at all, actually," Kurt answered quickly. He looked over at his three friends, one brow raised. "I didn't actually think we'd make it to the competition," he continued, speaking honestly.

"We sure lucked out, guys," Artie spoke next, also looking out at the other goings on in the part. When everyone looked at him with curious faces, he explained, "Well if Mr. Shue hadn't found Finn somehow, then Rachel wouldn't get in irrational crush on him. If Rachel didn't crush on Finn, Quinn wouldn't have tried out and brought Brittany and Santana along to keep an eye on Finn. And if we didn't have Brittany to unintentionally lie to Kurt's dad, Kurt would have never tried out for the football team, and then have Mr. Shue teach the football team to dance, resulting in their win, which recruited Puck, Mike, and Matt." Artie was counting on his fingers as he went along. "I don't know how else we would have managed to recruit twelve members," he concluded with a shrug.

"I guess White Boy really did save our asses after all," Mercedes said with a sigh, leaning back on the bench.

"But, in my opinion, it's us four that really won this thing," Kurt said in satisfaction, taking another sip of his slushie.

"What do you think will happen now that babygate is over?" Artie pondered. "Think we'll lose anybody?"

"Nah, I think even Puck likes us a little bit," Mercedes laughed. "I mean, if we managed to get Santana to like glee club, I don't think we have much to worry about."

"Well I'm just glad the drama's over," Tina said, relatively quiet compared to Mercedes.

Kurt and Mercedes eyed each other, as if they knew something that their friends didn't. Smug smiles on their faces, they looked over at Tina and Artie.

"There's something to be said for a little good drama, you know," Kurt stated airily, as if it was perfectly normal to say.

Artie looked confused, and Tina just looked embarrassed. With a sigh, Tina turned to face Artie. "They bet on us," she put it simply.

"They did what?" Artie nearly shouted, leaning forward to look over at the smug pair.

Tina sighed heavily, "Mercedes bet Kurt ten dollars that we would get together."

"Oh no, girl, that wasn't the bet," Mercedes answered with a smirk.

"No, it wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when," Kurt piped up. "She just bet that it would be before sectionals," He added, a slight tone of defeat in his voice.

Artie wanted to just disappear. He looked over at Tina, who looked apologetic. Her eyes pleaded for him not to get mad. Artie took a deep breath and looked back at her calmly. Tina looked over at Mercedes and Kurt, who seemed to catch a hint.

"Okay okay, Kurt and I need to go shopping. There are some fabulous new collections out," Mercedes said as she get up off of the bench, Kurt following suit.

As Kurt went to say goodbye to Artie, Tina grabbed Mercedes' arm. "You bet again, didn't you?" she whispered harshly. Mercedes only grinned back, forcing her into a quick hug before she turned to leave with Kurt. Tina threw up her hands in exasperation before violently sitting back on the bench. She looked over at Artie, who looked vacantly out at the park again. "I'm sorry about that, Artie." Sitting back in the bench, she covered her face with her hands for a moment. "I should never have told them about what happened, but I was just feeling lonely and vulnerable…"

"It's okay. It's not like it's your fault," Artie said, trying to muster a smile. Usually he would find such a thing amusing, but for some reason it really bothered him.

She bumped him playfully with her elbow, "You sure you're okay?" she asked with a smile.

He paused, thinking about it for a moment. He looked over at Tina. She really did mean the world to him. She was the only one who seemed to understand him, and she was always sensitive and understanding whenever he was an inconvenience. And as he looked at her, he could not forget that she was also beautiful. She was quite the friend. His best friend. With a smile in return, he nodded. "Yeah… I'm fine."

She nodded, reaching over to give him a reassuring touch on his arm. "Care to walk a lady home?" she asked with a playful grin.

Artie smirked, and looked around. "Of course, where's the lady?" What was a reassuring touch became a sharp punch to his arm. He couldn't help but laugh at her scowling at him. "Wow, you _are_ bad," he chuckled as he rubbed his arm where she had hit him.

"Some knight _you_ are," she retorted, trying to look as offended as possible, but doing a bad job covering up her chuckles.

"Okay, okay, let's get you home, m'_lady_," he continued, offering his hand to help her stand up. She gently took it and stood up, smiling down at him. He looked back up at her, another silly smile on his face. But as his eyes met hers, his goofy smile faded into one that was more heartfelt. Her chuckles were banished as she returned his gaze. There was a quiet moment where it was just the two of them. There with each other.

It was Tina who came to first. _This isn't what he wants_. She didn't want to let go. _But it's what I want…_ It took all her willpower to look away from those incredible blue eyes. _I don't want to hurt him again._ She did it, taking her hand out of his. Tina looked down, trying to hide the flush that came to her face.

Artie felt an unfamiliar pain in his gut when Tina pulled away. He took a sharp intake of breath, having been left breathless for the past minute or so. Not knowing what to think or say, he just gawked at Tina.

Tina felt his uncomfort and forced herself to smile at him. "Let's go, sir knight."

Artie nodded silently, and turned to head in the direction of the house he had dropped her off at after the mattress commercial.

Tina nearly slapped herself. She forgot about that. "Um… I actually live this way," she nervously pointed in the opposite direction. Before he could object, she came clean. "After the mattressland shoot, when you came after me like that, I didn't want you to know…"

"But that means that you walked three times as far as you had to," he interrupted. He saw her open her mouth slightly to speak, but she looked away in what looked like shame and simply nodded. Artie took a deep breath again, processing this information. She obviously expected him to get angry. In that moment he reassessed the way he had been treating her lately. He reached out to touch her arm in order to get her to look at him. She looked surprised, turning to look at him, and even more surprised to see a small smile on his face.

"I'm amazed you still put up with me, Tee," he spoke as he wheeled in the direction that she had pointed before. "Let's get you home, then, bad girl."


	14. Keep Holding On

**A/N:** _Hey everybody, I'm updating again because my laptop broke, so I'm using my mom's for now. And that means I don't have much else to do! And for some reason I woke up at 6am again, so here I am writing another chaper.  
I guess you've noticed that I'm rewarding you guys with a little fluff. I read the last chapters and realized how angsty I made them. And if I'm going to keep this story alive I need to continue to find different plot devices. But for now, enjoy the fantastically awkward fluff.  
__xnerdark: I totally agree with you. Sometimes fics depends on graphic details to get a sexy vibe, but I feel that to be unnecesssary, and usually inappropriate for a good plotline.  
Anyway, my answer to the QotU from last chapter: I hated Rachel. I actually thought I wouldn't be able to watch anymore. Luckily I hung in there and she got better. Close second is Terri.  
Hmm I might be too tired to come up with a creative QotU. This chapter's QotU: What is your favorite television show? (you can't answer Glee)_

**Chapter 14 : Keep Holding On**

On the following day, school went by as usual. There was no glee that day, so Artie made his way to the back of the school, where the one ramp was. He was excited for the new ramps to be built, Figgins had said they should be built in a couple of weeks. But for now he had to continue to use the one at the back, though he really didn't mind anymore.  
However, when he finally got off the ramp and towards the front of the school, he saw a gut-wrenching sight. Football players. All standing around the flag pole. Now that the football season was over, they didn't have practice until basketball started. Artie had a little panic attack, and tried to slip by them unseen, but to no avail. It was hard for him to be stealthy with the chair, and he was obviously their intended target.

"Where do you think you're going, Dead Legs?" One of the big guys asked, cutting Artie off.  
Artie didn't even bother to respond to the question. He just meekly hung his head and mumbled, "Just tape me to the pole already."  
"Did you hear that, fellas? He wants to be taped to the pole!" The football player leaned down to Artie's level. "Actually, we were thinking of playing a game with you."  
Artie knew that this was definitely bad.  
"How about Hide and go Seek? Everybody likes that game, right?" The big buffoon asked, the other players laughing their stupid laughs along with him. And then they sort of rushed Artie. Before he really knew what was happening, they dropped him to the ground. Artie quickly realized that they had picked him up out of his chair, and it was nowhere to be seen.  
"Your fancy chair wants to play, too, Dead Legs. We're going to help it hide," the jock sneered as another bent down to tie Artie's wrists behind him around the flagpole.  
Another jock bent down and took Artie's glasses next. "No peeking!" he shook his finger down at Artie, tossing the glasses behind them.  
"You're it!"  
And with that the jocks left, laughing loudly as they went. Artie looked around frantically. Most of the students had already gone home, so the front lawn fell into an eerie silence. He squeezed his eyes shut, leaning his head back against the pole he was tethered to, trying not to look down at his awkwardly bent legs in front of him.

He sat for what must have been forty minutes there under the flag pole. Artie was determined not to cry. He cursed himself for telling his dad that he wouldn't need a ride today. He was going to walk with Tina home again. Or at least that's what he planned, but with no glee practice, everything just went wrong, and he didn't see her after school to ask.

Suddenly he heard one of the front doors open, and saw a blur of black and blue race down the stairs and run past. She looked like she was in a hurry, and definitely didn't see him. Artie hesitated. This might be his only chance to get out of this mess. "Tina!!" he shouted. He felt a little pathetic crying for help, but he was man enough to admit he wasn't going to get out of this alone.

She came to a screeching halt. Was that Artie's voice? He sounded like he was in trouble. Tina stood for a moment. She was so late; her mother was going to kill her. But that didn't stop her from turning around and running in the direction of his voice. She looked around quickly, and then saw him there at the base of the flag pole. No glasses. No chair. She nearly cried right then and there. She sprinted as best as she could in those boots of hers, then fell to her knees at his side. "Oh my god, Artie! Who did this to you? Are you okay? Where's your chair?" She was closer to tears than he was as she looked him over.

"Jocks, they didn't hurt me, and I don't know," He answered all of her questions at once, trying not to look at her. He was embarrassed. He was helpless, and she had to see him like this. Tina sawed at the twine that held Artie to the pole with her house key, taking about a minute to get through it. Once it was severed, Artie felt some relief, the tension gone in his upper body. He sighed, and finally looked up at her when she came back around to his side. She was close enough for him to see the tears now streaming down her face.

"I can't believe they did this to you," she said quietly, reaching out to touch his face gently.  
He grabbed her hand both of his half-gloved ones. "I can. I guess I'm lucky you were at school so late. What were you doing, anyway? I was going to offer to walk you home again," he tried to speak like nothing was wrong. He needed her to calm down, seeing her cry was heart breaking.  
"I was talking to Mr. Shue about regionals. We might do True Colors there," she stated simply, but her eyes were searching his face. He looked so vulnerable and uncomfortable. She wished she could beat the crap out of those stupid jocks for this.  
"That's great, Tee," he responded softly, tearing his eyes away from her face to look around for any clues for the location of his chair and glasses.  
Tina followed his eyes, and they landed on thick black frames. "Ah, you're glasses!" she jumped up, her hand slipping out of his as she ran to grab them off of the sidewalk. "They don't look broken," she quietly observed before handing them over to Artie.  
"I'm actually surprised they're okay," he laughed sadly, putting them on. "At least I can see now. I just don't know where the chair is…" he drifted off, looking around again to no avail.  
Tina bit her lip for a moment, thinking. "Wait here, I bet I know where they put it." And before Artie could answer she was speeding away. He sighed heavily, rubbing his wrists to relieve the rope burn that had developed there.  
But he didn't have to wait ten minutes before he saw Tina come back pushing his chair in front of her, his book bag still attached. He smiled up at her, "Do I want to know where it was?"  
"Probably not. Just ask your dad to help you clean it when you get home," she managed a smile back.  
Artie scooted towards the chair, hitting the wheel lock before using his well-toned upper body to hoist himself back up into his wheelchair. It smelled faintly of rotten bananas. "It was in the dumpster, wasn't it?" he asked with a soft laugh.  
"As I said, get it clean when you get home," she reiterated, scrunching her nose from the smell, trying to hide her smile. She was amazed how much abuse Artie could take and still manage to smile. However, she wasn't completely sure that he didn't take it to heart. She knew Artie used his optimism as a front in a similar way that she used to use her stutter, only he faked happiness while she faked a disability. But still, she could definitely relate.

As she pushed him in the direction of his house, he looked back at her. "You don't suppose you want to hang out again today?"  
Tina continued walking, but thought about it for a minute. She knew Artie really needed a friend right now. "Well I'm already late to help my mom, but how about I meet you at the park around 6? That'll give you enough time to de-stink the chair, too," she added with a teasing chuckle.  
He smiled back at her, then turned around again as they continued down the street.

"Sounds good to me," he responded, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Who would imagine a guy like him would end up lucky enough to have a friend like her?


	15. I Say a Little Prayer

**A/N: **_Somebody stop me! I am so bored back at home, I can't stop writing! 3 updates in 24 hours!  
But I have wanted to write this chapter for a long time, so I hope you enjoy it.  
My answer to last time's QotU: Besides Glee, my favorite show is House, though I'm growing to like that new-ish show, Lie to Me.  
This time, on QotU: Where has been your favorite place to travel?_

**Chapter 15 : I Say a Little Prayer**

Artie found himself getting to the park about fifteen minutes early, anxious to see Tina again. When he got that same feeling that he had before meeting her for their one sad excuse for a date, his internal monologue started up again.  
_What are you doing, Artie? You decided you were done with this little crush.  
I don't know, I guess I still like her. A lot. And she still seems to like me, too.  
Yeah for now, maybe. She's beautiful and amazing, you know that. It just hasn't been enough time for other guys to notice that she doesn't stutter anymore. And once some able-bodied, cool guy gives a wink at her, she won't be so keen on you anymore. It's best if you strengthen your friendship, and hold on to her as best you can. If you get together with her now, you'll just get hurt.  
And what if she does still like me? I'll be making the biggest mistake of my life if I let her get away._

He never got a chance to answer his own question as he spotted Tina approaching him at the same bench they were at the day before. The sky was dimming already, but he could tell something was wrong by the way she carried herself, arms hugged around her own body and head hanging low. He rolled himself forward a bit to try and get a better look at her face. As she crossed a patch of grass, she paused, looked at him, then down at the ground. And before Artie could blink, she dropped to the ground.  
"Tina?" he called out in concern, wheeling himself over to where she lay. His chair wasn't exactly geared for off-roading, and the irregular grass gave him some trouble, but he managed to reach her side. She looked over at him, her eyes visibly dark, and she still refused to speak. She did, however, pat the soft winter grass beside her, inviting him to join her. He looked dubiously at the grass. It wasn't exactly a normal thing to do- leave his chair in public. But it was clear that Tina wasn't going to say anything until he complied. He tried to contain a sigh as he started the awkward process of leaving his chair. Once he slid down onto the grass and fixed his legs, he realized that he had missed his mark a bit. Lucky for him, she wasn't about to make him start over and try again. Tina scooted up until she was even with him. She was silent for a while longer, looking him over.

"You're taller than me," she pointed out, the smallest bit of a smile coming to her face. And she was right, if she leveled their feet, she would come just above his shoulders. Artie smiled for a moment at the thought, but then remembered why he went to all this trouble in the first place.  
"What's wrong, Tina?" he pressed. Now that she had spoken once, maybe she would finally concede what was bothering her.  
Tina looked away from him, up at the darkening sky. Silent for yet another moment, she gathered her thoughts. She knew she couldn't just pretend nothing was wrong; he knew her too well. Taking a deep breath, she began, "It's not really a big deal. I was late coming home, so my mother was pretty angry. And, well… let's just say I had an unpleasant afternoon." She spoke softly, and stared up at the sky, rather than at him.  
Artie felt a pang of guilt. This was his fault for getting tied up to that stupid flagpole. He looked over at her, noticing her eyes carried a great sadness that made his heart ache. "Tee, I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have to be responsible," he started, but was cut off by Tina's eyes locking on his.  
"No, Artie. It's not your fault. Don't ever blame yourself for what other people do to you. And I'd rather face the wrath of my parents than leave you any day," she said sternly, her eyes searching his. "Artie… you're my best friend, no matter what. I don't know about you, but that's not something I take lightly." by then she was propped up on her elbow, facing him.  
He cast his eyes away for a few moments, a bit embarrassed. When he finally managed to look back into her eyes, his embarrassment and guilt was only intensified by the tears that were gathering there. "Tina…" he spoke just above a whisper, reaching out a hand touch her arm. But she shied away from him, eyes closing in obvious emotional pain.  
"Artie, will you something for me?" she asked quietly, still refusing to look at him.  
"Anything…" he breathed, growing more concerned with every moment. There was definitely something she wasn't telling him.  
She opened her eyes, daring to meet his worried blue ones. "Can we pretend, for just tonight, that I didn't mess everything up?"  
Artie didn't quite understand at first until he studied her face more closely. When he came to the realization of exactly what she was asking, he took a sharp intake of breath and furrowed his brow. He looked away from her, taking his turn to look up at the dark sky.  
"Artie, please…" she pleaded with him, taking the risk to scoot a little closer to him. "I promise tomorrow will be normal again. If we managed to get through what we've already been through, I know we'll be okay."  
He turned his head to look at her again, and couldn't bring himself to disappoint her. He remembered back to a couple days before, at sectionals, when she had been so willing to be whatever he needed her to be. No way was he going to turn down the opportunity to return the favor.  
"Okay… I trust you."

It didn't take long for Tina to reach his side. He extended an arm as she rested her head on his shoulder so he could pull her closer. She let one hand snake under his shoulder and neck while her other hand came to rest on his chest. Very hesitantly she placed one of her legs over his unmoving ones. Artie cursed his body for being unable to feel every point of contact, but he reveled in everything that he could feel. He placed his half-gloved hand over her equally gloved one. She finally looked up into his face, mere inches away. They remained like this for a moment, both silent. It was Tina who broke the gaze, yet again. She had a promise to keep. When her eyes left his, Artie found he was able to breathe again. Looking down, he saw her bury her face into his side under his arm. He smiled to himself and gently stroked her hair.  
"Thank you, Artie," she spoke into his sweater, still too nervous to look into his face again. She felt like she was back in the halls of McKinley as she made the decision to kiss him that day. This time, she couldn't. He would never trust her again. But no matter what her resolve might have been, it didn't keep her heart from pounding and her head from swimming.  
He continued to watch her, and decided to give a gentle squeeze to her hand. "I guess we're even then, Tee," he said gently, continuing to stroke her hair with his other hand. He took a chance and leaned down to press his lips gently to the top of her head.  
Tina froze at the contact, losing her ability to breathe yet again. She took her face out of his warm side to look up into his face, which was closer than ever. Lost in his eyes, she searched them for something- something to tell her that he wanted this as bad as she did. She was rewarded with that brightness in his eyes that she missed so much. "Artie, I…" she whispered, trying to muster some eloquence to speak clearly.  
"Tina," he interrupted, "I don't know where I'd be without you," he soothed, smiling slightly. "You're the best friend I could ever hope for." He felt a shiver spread through his body, as if it was protesting against his conscious decision to never ever do this again. He was determined to brush it off as hormones, but there was a faint echo from his internal monologue, '_Biggest mistake of my life.'_  
With this one exchange Tina allowed herself to hope beyond hope, and then was immediately crushed back into reality. She forced herself to smile back, and freed her hand from his, allowing her fingertips to brush his face. "You're the best, Artie." Her touch lingered for a moment too long to be a simple gesture, so Tina quickly pulled her hand away. She wanted to stay there with him as long as possible, but she felt as though she was already pushing it. "We should probably get you home before your dad thinks I kidnapped you," she reluctantly sat up out of his casual embrace.  
Artie suddenly felt cold as his side was exposed to the night air. Quiet for a moment, he continued to look up at her, studying her face. She was obviously disappointed, which gave Artie a strange satisfaction, which he identified as irrational. He finally nodded; using his arms to prop up his torso and, with years of practice guiding him, swiftly hoisted himself back into his chair. Holding it steady was Tina, for even though the wheels were locked, the grass had become slick in the cold. Once again he appreciated the sensitivity Tina seemed to always have for the finer points of his condition.

They went side by side in silence until they reached Tina's home. She paused at the walkway up to her door and turned to her friend. "Thanks for humoring me, Artie. I really needed to feel… wanted," she looked away as her face flushed in embarrassment.  
Artie smiled softly up at her, though those last words that she had said added even more concern. She very obviously wasn't going to talk about what was bothering her at that moment, so he decided to let it go for now. The evening had been nice, and he wanted it to end without conflict. "Anything for you, Tee."  
She managed to look back at his face with a smile before leaning over and hugging him around the neck lightly. After standing back up, she gave a little wave and was through the door before Artie could say anything more.

He was left outside her house, silence his only unwelcome companion as his mind entered into turmoil yet again. As he finally turned his chair to head home, there were so many things to think about. He never got Tina to say what was really wrong. Perhaps it was something going wrong at home. He knew part of it was the stress he had put on her earlier that day. Finding a friend tied up to a flagpole was never a pleasant experience. Having that friend be a paraplegic could only make that panic so much worse. Her request was unusual by any standards, but he had to admit it was enjoyable to feel that close to her. Then there was that issue- if he was so determined to keep his relationship with Tina in the friend-zone, why did enjoy that closeness so much? He was able to rationalize that eventually. He didn't necessarily need that closeness with Tina, he just didn't have the opportunity to get that close to anyone else. While part of him screamed that it was a lie, his hard rational side pushed it down. And one sad, quiet part of him hoped she would realize how much better she could do, so the torment would end.


	16. Crush

**A/N: **_Hey everybody, I'm probably not going to update tomorrow because it's my 20__th__ birthday and my friends have a whole buncha stuff planned for me.  
Fortunately, this chapter is probably going to be really long . A lot of material to cover. I might split it in two, depending on how much I get out of it. I've semi-outlined chapter progression. I still write spontaneously, but I need a little direction. It's a bit easier since I wrote the last chapter several weeks ago, before I even wrote the first chapter.  
Thanks again to all my reviewers, especially Lady Anja. I'm glad someone is interested in the literary merit of the story. I decided to have 3 chapters without a clear story arc, because I always felt awkward introducing a new conflict right after a resolution (sectionals and Tina failing to get back together with Artie). The arc for the entire story is obvious, but having a time of peace between internal arcs makes it a bit more casual, but I have made sure to introduce the new conflict subtly in the past two chapters so it's not like getting hit with a 'hi-I'm-a-new-conflict' truck.  
Anywho, my answer to last time's QotU is a tie between Edinburgh, Scotland and Killarney, Ireland. They are both super awesome with beautiful scenery and amazing people. Maybe because they're the farthest thing from Phoenix, Arizona that you can get. If I could go anywhere, it would be Greece.  
This time on QotU: Since it's my birthday tomorrow, you all should ask ME questions. Then I get to answer them next time I update._

**Chapter 16 : Crush**

_Be normal. Be normal. Be normal. _Tina recited her mantra to herself as she walked through the halls of McKinley. She had arrived at school early that morning, wanting to get out of her house as soon as possible. But her mind wasn't on that now. She had promised with all sincerity that she would pretend that last night was totally normal. It wasn't, but she wasn't about to betray Artie's trust yet again. However, she let her guard down as she got to her locker, letting her internal mantra fade as she thought about what she needed for the day. And of course that's when Artie decided to show up,

"Hey, Tee!" he greeted happily, very obviously normal.

_Damn him! _Tina was startled by the sudden greeting and nearly dropped her books. She suddenly turned towards him, her face slightly flush. "Hi Artie!" She said a little too perkily, and much too loud. Nervous laughter filled the ensuing silence. _Wow, good job, Tina. Way to be normal._ She tried to force and natural smile, and by the look on Artie's face, she failed.  
"You okay there, Tina?" He asked quietly, trying to make up for her little outburst. Anxiously looking around to see if anyone had noticed the strange exchange, his eyes fell on Mercedes, who had a dubious look on her face.  
"Totally fine. Perfectly normal," she responded rather quickly. "Oh look at that, I'd better get to my first class, bye Artie!" she managed to keep her voice just above normal volume. She quickly shut her locker and scurried away, leaving Artie there, his mouth half-open as if he was going to say something. Before he could escape to his own class, he was cut off by Mercedes. He was in no way surprised at this. Sighing, he looked up at her.  
"Hey Mercedes," he said monotonously, knowing what was coming next.  
"What in the hell was that?" she asked, her hands firmly on her hips.  
"In all honesty, I have no idea," he earnestly replied. He didn't want to spend another week with the intimidating girl glaring at him wherever he went. And he was being honest. Sort of. He had a guess as to why Tina was so anxious around him, but he didn't know what was really wrong. Something was definitely bothering her. Whatever caused her to behave the way she did the night before was obviously big, and she was keeping it from him.  
"Did something happen?" she insisted, then leaned closer, "Do I need to be paying Kurt again?"  
Artie ran a gloved hand through his hair in exasperation. "You bet again?" he sighed. "And no, nothing actually happened," he semi-lied. Technically he assumed what did happen wasn't enough to qualify their stupid bet anyway. "But I am a little worried; she hasn't been acting… herself lately."  
She rolled her eyes at him, "Well go figure it out, Artie. Aren't you supposed to be her best friend or something?" she continued, leaning forward even more, causing Artie to back up a few inches.  
He looked down at his hands folded in his lap, "Well she's obviously not very comfortable talking to me." He then looked up at her, his eyes pleading, "If you get a chance… can you talk to her?"  
Mercedes' face softened a bit and she stood up straighter, "Of course I will, doofus. She's my friend, too." And with that she turned and left Artie there alone.

Artie didn't see Tina for the rest of the school day. This wasn't completely unusual, especially since Artie had to practice with jazz band. He was anxious for glee rehearsal after school; maybe he would manage to talk to his best friend after it was all over.  
But as everyone filed in to glee, Tina's absence was increasingly unsettling. When it was ten minutes after glee was supposed to start, it was Puck who spoke up, "Yo, where's Tina? It's been like fifteen minutes."  
"She was like, here this morning," Brittany responded with a shrug.  
"Maybe I should go look for her," Artie said, ready to wheel out the door in an instant.  
It was Mr. Shuester who stopped him. "No, Artie, let's have…" He scanned the room, before settling on his chosen subject. "Matt."  
The football player looked up from his texting when he heard his name, "Yeah, Mr. Shue?"  
"Go take a quick look around the building and see if you can't find Tina. Check the auditorium, too," Mr. Shue instructed.  
Matt looked confused for a minute before nodding and hopping down from the top row. He quickly left the choir room to get his menial task over with.

Matt wasn't halfway around the building when he heard voices- familiar ones. Curiosity got the best of him, so before turning the corner, Matt listened as best he could to what they were talking about.

"So I hear it was you who saved your dear Dead Legs from our little game." Matt identified the voice as the A-class jerk Karovski.  
"I guess that makes her 'it' now, huh?" Another voice chimed in.  
"Yeah, I guess it does." There was a pause and some stupid laughter from the group of jocks. Then Matt cringed as he heard the distinctive sound of a slushie hitting the floor- and most likely a person on the way. "Tag," Karovski chortled as the rest of the group joined in the torment. "You know," Karovski continued, "I bet that Dead Legs would be better off without you. I mean, he's not nearly as ugly as you."  
"Huh, yeah, now that she doesn't stutter anymore, let's just call her Ugly," some other genius contributed.  
"He'd probably get more play is he wasn't stuck with you all the time," Karovski kept up the torment.  
"Artie Abrams is twice the man you'll ever be, Karovski!" Matt heard Tina's voice through the continuous chortling of the group of jocks. Matt hated himself for being frozen on the spot, but he just couldn't move. He risked peeking around the corner, and saw the telltale letterman jackets in a cluster. He couldn't see much of Tina unless he looked down, where he could see a glimpse of her black boots, and the blue pool of slush at her feet.  
"Oh you don't say? Well I heard a little something else about you, Ugly," Matt couldn't hear what he said next, so he poked his head around the corner some more. What he saw next was the least thing he expected to see.

Tina was backed into the lockers, slushie dripping down her shirt. Karovski leaned closer after her little outburst,  
"Oh you don't say? Well I heard a little something else about you, Ugly." His voice grew quiet as he went on, "I hear you've got some troubles at home." He sneered  
"You know nothing about me," Tina growled back, her ferocity causing Karovski to take a small step back.  
"Actually, I do. My pop is a divorce lawyer," Karovski sneered down at her.  
Tina's look of horror quickly fell into one of absolute rage, "Leave my family out of it, and… and leave Artie alone!" Before she knew it, she hurled her fist at Karovski's nose with every ounce of strength that she had. She felt a brief moment of satisfaction as he stumbled back and fell to the floor, but no sooner had a drop of blood soiled his pristine letterman jacket did Tina feel the hands of the other jocks grab at her. She shielded herself in defense, and she was surprised to feel no pain, but only heard some more commotion. Cracking open one of her eyes, she recognized the barrier between her and certain destruction as Matt. Before she could speak, Matt grabbed her and broke through the circle of antagonists.

Once they were near the choir room and everything seemed safe, Matt put Tina down, trying to calm his breathing. "You okay?" he managed to ask between breaths.  
As the adrenaline wore off, Tina finally felt the impact of what had just happened, and tears started to well up in her eyes. _Damn I've cried more in the past couple weeks than I ever have in my life, _she realized to herself. Pathetic. But she managed to nod, "I'll be fine," she sniffed.  
Matt felt really awkward. He felt bad, of course, but he just didn't know Tina well enough to give her the comfort she needed. He got an idea, "Go get cleaned off, you don't want that slushie to dry on you. I'll go get someone to help you."  
She nodded and turned around to find the nearest restroom. Matt quickly went back into the choir room, where the rest of the club was loosely running through some sheet music. When they saw him come through the door, still trying to catch his breath, they grew quiet.  
"Um can I get a couple of girls to help Tina clean up? She's in the bathroom," before he could even finish, Mercedes and Rachel were out of their chairs and rushing past him out of the room.

"Dude what happened?" Pucks voice broke the silence first, "You look like you just ran from a pack of lions."  
"Well, I kinda did. Tina punched Karovski right in the nose, so I grabbed her and ran before the rest of them could tear her to pieces," Matt recalled.  
"Holy crap," Finn commented.  
"Shit," Mike added.  
"Badass," Puck agreed.  
"Is she okay?" Artie piped in, breaking the chain.  
Matt paused, looking at Artie, "She's not hurt, the only thing that touched her was a slushie. But she looks really shaken up. I didn't hear everything, but…" he paused, not sure if it was his place to tell Artie what he had heard. "… part of it had to do with her family, but most of it was about you, man."


	17. I'll Stand By You

**A/N:**_ Wow everybody, 100 reviews! Thanks so much. And of course, thank you all for the birthday wishes. Sorry for the long wait. I had a great day, ate a LOT of food. If I eat any more I think I'll explode. Fooooooood coma. I also converted two of my friends to Tartie fans today, so I consider it a success! Anyhow, before I answer all of your questions;,  
This time, on QotU: Who do you think really invented Calculus first? Newton or Leibniz? (If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, feel free to just call me a big nerd as your answer)  
Answers time:_

_Q: What am I wishing for my birthday?  
A: I wished that my mother wouldn't be able to find my baby book to torment me with. This wish actually came true for the first time in 20 years!  
Q: If I could pick a solo for each glee member, what would it be?  
A: Well I won't pick ones for those who already have solos, but it's interesting to think of the others.  
for Matt (or Mike, since we haven't heard either of them sing) I would do something that he could show off his dancing skillz to. Perhaps Closer by Ne-Yo. Heck they could duo it.  
I'll answer this more as I get more time to think about it.  
Q: What do I like best about Artie/Tina?  
A: I really can relate to Tina, personally. Their relationship really shows that true side of Tina that most people don't know about, since people are too busy being intimidated by her exterior. And Artie is smart and funny, but this also gets overlooked because of the chair, so having these two find each other is just a great success story.  
Q: What's my favorite thing to do besides writing?  
A: When I'm not working in a lab, I work as a freelance graphic designer, and I really really enjoy that. I love my lab work, too, but I'm too young and uneducated to do the real stuff yet.  
Q: What's my favorite band/artist?  
A: Favorite artist is hand-down Ben Folds. He's a piano god. For band, it's a toss-up between Tally Hall and Coldplay. Really depends on my mood. But usually I have really eclectic music taste, so I often have the Berlinier Philharmonic and Mika on the same playlist as Katy Perry and Chris Brown (No really I just checked, I have Mahler 1, Grace Kelley, Hot n Cold, and Forever all in one of my old favorite playlists). I'm just weird like that.  
Now that I've sufficiently rambled:_

**Chapter 17 : I'll Stand By You**

She had done this for him? What was wrong with her family?

After Matt quickly described what he had seen, Artie was stunned for a moment, then buried his face in his hands. He felt some pride, knowing Tina had the guts and ability to really show that Karovski what he deserved. But that didn't stop the guilt and concern from overwhelming him.  
"What did they do to you to get Tina so pissed?" Finn asked, flashing back to the port-o-potty incident.  
"They tied me to the flagpole and hid my chair and glasses after school yesterday. I was there for about a half hour before Tina found me," me muttered through his hands.  
"Well that's not very nice," Brittany piped up.  
"Wow, Karovski is really taking this bully thing too far. He's not badass, he's… just an ass," Puck commented, receiving incredulous looks from the rest of the room, especially Artie and Kurt.  
Artie finally regained focus, and looked up at Matt, "Can you tell me exactly what you heard, Matt?"

Matt started recalling everything he had heard in as much detail as he could remember. By the end of the story he was pretty into it, reenacting what he had seen.  
"Karovski was like, 'oh I know somethin' else about you, Ugly,' then got all quiet. I didn't hear what they were saying for a few seconds, then she looked like she was going to kill him, then said, 'leave my family out of it, and leave Artie alone!' socking Karovski right in the face," he emphasized, punching the air. "Then they all went to grab her, but I managed to get there in time to save her from getting hurt. At least I'm pretty sure they didn't get a scratch on her. I sent her to the bathroom to wash of the slushie before I could get a good look at her, but she was pretty shaken up," Matt concluded, finding himself watching Artie, who seemed to be growing more and more uneasy as time went by.  
Mr. Shue, who had been silent until now, stood up and quickly left the choir room without a word. No one really cared or noticed, too focused on the drama at hand.  
Artie let his head fall back into his hands. This wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this- didn't deserve to take his punches for him. And the part where Karovski had told her that he would be better off without her- Artie hoped that she didn't take that to heart. His gut wrenched as he knew she would. He had to talk to her.

"So, are you and Tina, like… a thing now?" It was Santana who broke the silence. When she received shocked looks from everyone else, she gave them a knowing look back, "I know you all were dying to know, so don't give me that." In response everyone looked away. It was true, ever since watching Tina and Artie grow closer, then fall out completely, then regain their bond stronger than ever (especially after the scene at sectionals), everyone was burning with curiosity.  
But Artie had no knowledge of this, and simply look dumbfounded for a moment. He shook his head vigorously, "No!" he said with a little too much conviction. "I mean… no. She's my best friend," he insisted, contemplating how much he should reveal. Reminding himself that this was glee club, and surprised that they all didn't know already (considering Kurt and Mercedes knew), he continued, "We tried that once… the date thing. It… didn't work out"  
"What happened?" Brittany asked with more disappointment than she should have had.  
Artie looked up at her inquisitively, "Umm… she lied about her stutter, so we really didn't have a disability in common."  
"Oh so that's why I can understand her now," Finn said quietly to himself.  
"…and?" oddly enough it was Puck who was leaning forward in his chair, listening intently, asking for more details.  
"Well after she told me that, it was pretty much over, but we're friends again now, so it doesn't really matter." Artie explained quickly. He knew that people wouldn't understand his position on this, and wasn't really ready for what he knew would come next.  
"Dude, are you stupid-?" before Puck could finish, he received a quick flick to the back of his head, "Hey, I'm just being honest," he mumbled.  
"You really want to do this, guys?" Artie asked, a bit of irritation on his voice as he turned his chair to be face-on with the rest of the club. "Santana, weren't you with Matt at some point, but then started sleeping with Puck again sometime after that? And then the other day Brittany pretty much told the rest of us that you two had slept together, yet last time I checked, she's with Mike. Puck, Finn, do I need to say anything about you guys? You both had- or have- some weird thing for Rachel while also having feelings for Quinn, who lied about the father of her baby after sleeping with Puck, even though she was dating Finn, who believed that she could get pregnant from a hot tub!" Artie's rant fell on a silent audience. Kurt thanked whatever god smiled down on him to be spared in this public ousting. He promised that he would be a better friend to his wheelchair-bound companion. But first, Kurt made sure to relay every detail to Mercedes via text message. True, everything Artie had said was already known by everyone already, but hearing it in one go was a bit much. Artie turned and wheeled towards the door, but looked over his shoulder at the quietly stunned group, "Tina and I will be fine. Stop using us as an excuse to ignore your own relationship problems." And with that he was out the door, heading towards the girls' restroom.

In aforementioned restroom, Mercedes and Rachel were hard at work cleaning and consoling the broken down Tina that they had found there. She had been collapsed on the ground in a corner, not bothering to hold back the tears. Luckily, Rachel had grabbed a chair on the way for her to sit in by the sink. They started their routine silently, pulling Tina into the chair in front of the sink so Rachel could get to work on Tina's hair while Mercedes took off any of Tina's unnecessary accessories that were getting coated in the syrupy mess. After Tina's hair was slush-free, Rachel began to gently wipe Tina's face. Tina's eyes were vacant, only shining from the tears that never stopped. When she was finally able to sit up normally, Tina took a better look at her busy friends. Mercedes had dropped all the slushed gloves, bracelets, hat, and necklace into the sink, and Rachel was still tending to Tina's face, which had the unfortunate combination of smeared make-up and the drying sugary drink. Tina was mildly surprised that Rachel was one of the people at her side, but her mind was too busy to fret with it further.

After rinsing off Tina's things, Mercedes gave a sigh and knelt in front of her friend. "Girl, you'd better talk to me," Mercedes said quietly, putting a hand on Tina's knee. Instead of getting a response from the ghost-like girl in front of her, Mercedes was answered with a buzz from her phone. She haphazardly grabbed it, and saw that it was a series of texts from Kurt. Quickly scanning through them, she sighed loudly. "So this is about Wheels, is it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.  
"…no," Tina responded unconvincingly.  
"Don't you try to lie to me, Tina," Mercedes said, shaking her finger, "Matt told everybody else everything he heard. Kurt just told me. He said you punched that big ass jerk Karovski right in the nose after he talked smack about Artie."  
"And we all know you like him," Rachel piped in as she finished removing the slushie-makeup concoction from Tina's tear-stained face, only to be met with a death-glare from Mercedes. "What? I'm a little bit psychic, remember?" she paused, giving that know-it-all Rachel berry smile, "Not that I need to be, you're not very good at hiding it."  
Tina was frozen for a moment, considering ripping Rachel's head off or just sobbing some more. She was right, after all. Even Quinn had said something about it back when they were at the Mattressland shoot. Instead, she leaned forward, supporting her head with her oddly naked hands. "It doesn't matter, he doesn't like me that way anymore," she mumbled, considering telling them about the comment that Karovski had made that really got her mad, that she assumed Matt hadn't heard. She didn't want Rachel to talk about parents; it was sickening how perky she was all the time. So instead she resolved to talk about it later with someone who was nowhere near Rachel Berry.  
"Well that's a load of B.S." Mercedes interjected, standing up, "Anyone with eyes can see that…"

Tina heard a faint squeak and a bump at the door, which Mercedes and Rachel had obviously not heard. She sat up and held up a hand. "Wait," she said quietly. "You two need to leave," she said, perfectly calm. When met with anger and confusion, she shook her head, "You'll understand when you go. Don't say anything. Please."  
Rachel followed orders quickly, but Mercedes hesitated, staring at her friend for a moment, trying to understand. She gave up when she found only stony resolve in Tina's face. "We're not done talking, you hear?" she asked forcefully. When Tina answered with a nod, Mercedes got up and went out the door.  
As she opened the door, she understood.

"You can come in, Artie," Tina called, now completely alone in the small bathroom. There was a moment of silence, and then the hesitant creaking of the door opening preceded his obviously embarrassed entrance. She glanced over at him and tried to muster a smile, "First time in a girl's bathroom, I'm guessing?" she asked quietly.  
He paused, looking down at his hands for a minute before looking up at her over his glasses. "How did you know I was out there?" he ignored her question, assuming the answer was too obvious to bother with.  
She looked away, turning her attention to the profane inscriptions on the metal stall doors. "You need to oil your wheel lock, and be more careful when you lean on walls if you're trying to be quiet," she explained flatly, as if it was a totally obvious observation.  
Artie couldn't help but be impressed. "You know, most people don't notice that stuff," he said with a slight smile.  
"They do if they know what to listen for," she responded, even more quietly than before.  
He fell silent, guilt finally catching up to him. Everything he had heard in the choir room had made his heart grow heavier and heavier. He wheeled closer to her, placing a hand on one of hers that rested on her knee. "You don't look half bad for just getting a slushie to the face," he tried once again to restore the gentle banter. He was rewarded with a small smile.  
"Rachel is actually really good at getting it all off," she responded, meeting his worried eyes with her tired tear-stained ones. "I can imagine she's had a lot of practice."  
He gave a smile in return. "And you look good without your make-up and stuff," he added, instantly embarrassed.  
Tina was the one to break the eye contact first, equally embarrassed. She had forgotten that she was completely bare with no accessories and make-up. "Don't be nice, I know I look like a wreck," she said softly, looking anywhere but him.  
"I hear Karovski looks even worse," Artie pressed, bringing up the subject as carefully as he could. He was answered only by silence. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "Can we talk about this?"

Tina was frozen again as he mentioned the incident that had happened not half an hour ago. When he pressed further, she squeezed her eyes shut, wishing it would all go away. The pressure of his hand on hers was the only thing that kept her grounded. "It was mostly about you, Artie," she said, close to a whisper.  
He sighed, nodding slightly, "That's what Matt said… You're the best friend I could ever ask for, Tee, and we can talk about what he said about me later, but what I really want to know is," he paused and took a breath, making sure he had a good hold on her hand in case she tried to run away, "what's going on? You've been on edge for the past couple of days. Something happened, and you can't just pretend that it didn't." She didn't run. But tears did return to her eyes, sending another wave of guilt over Artie. He had to do this. She needed him; there was no room for being a pansy here. His voice was quiet and pleading as he continued, "Please, will you talk to me about it? I don't know if I can help, but I'm here, Tee. After everything you've done for me, please let me be there for you."

After another moment of painful stillness, she nodded.


	18. Proud Mary

**A/N:**_ First I want to answer a question that I got from Artemis Rayne:  
Q: Do you choose the chapter titles before or after writing the chapter?  
A: It actually has varied. Sometimes the title fits the story, sometimes it's the lyrics, and sometimes just the song itself really inspires me. The next chapter (that I wrote before this one), I listened to Hate on Me almost throughout the entire time that I wrote it, because it just totally set the mood. Sometimes I don't realize what song will work until I'm done with the chapter (Taking Chances [this one was incredibly perfect], I Say a Little Prayer, Alone, and Keep Holding On are examples of this) while sometimes they kinda come to me as I think of what I'm about to write (You Keep Me Hangin' On, Don't Rain on My Parade, No Air). And the chapters that have the songs performed in them (True Colors, Lean on Me, Jump) are not exclusively named because the song is in them, but because they really fit the story, which would make sense, since Glee often uses song choices to enhance the plot. One time I actually changed the title of the chapter at the very end of writing it. I think it was Crush.  
My answer to last chapter's QotU: I'm a nerd. But really, they were both complete bitches about it. While we use Leibnizian notation, we really use Newtonian mechanics. So I vote Newton, even though he was a passive-aggressive baby during the whole process. Not that Leibniz was much better, crying to his bff Princess Catarina. Look where that landed you, Leibny! In an all out cat fight with Newton's little minion, Clarke!  
This time, on QotU, we return to more normal questions: What is your favorite number that Glee has done so far?  
As I mentioned before, chapter 19 is already written, so I'll be updating that really soon. I'll wait a few hours for spamming sake._

**Chapter 18 : Proud Mary**

Rachel and Mercedes slipped back into the choir room after finding Artie outside the bathroom, obviously trying to eavesdrop. When they went to sit down, Mercedes next to Kurt and Rachel front and center, all eyes were on them. It was quiet for a minute, everyone having the urge to ask endless questions, but none having the guts to be the first.

"Is she okay?" it was Matt who finally broke the increasingly awkward silence. It was appropriate, considering he was the one who essentially saved her from a possibly horrific end.  
"She's clean-"  
"Artie's there-"  
Apparently the two had different definitions of 'okay', so they spoke in unison. They looked at each other quickly. Rachel, as usual, took the lead. "We cleaned her up, but she didn't talk much."  
Mercedes nodded a little, then took over, "but Artie's in there with her now. So that's good," she paused, considering it, "I think. She wouldn't let us stay."

The rest of the glee club was obviously disappointed by the lack of details. The guys wanted to hear more about the fight, and the girls wanted to know what Artie was doing in there.  
"Well are we going to just pretend like those two are just happy and normal?" Puck asked, disappointment obvious in his voice. He turned to eye Mercedes and Kurt, "When you guys thought something was wrong with Quinn, you gossiped about it all during glee when she was out puking her guts out!" he accused, narrowing his eyes.  
"Puck, please…" Quinn said, both embarrassed and grossed out. But he wasn't done apparently.  
"You two know something," he concluded, leaning back in his chair. "If you didn't, you'd be trying to figure it out more than anything, not just sitting there with nothing to say."  
Mercedes and Kurt looked at each other. Kurt shook his head subtly to Mercedes, but trying to stop Mercedes from gossiping was like trying to plug a faucet with a finger. She looked apologetically at Kurt, knowing she couldn't hold it in, especially when they asked her so directly like that.  
"Well do you?" Rachel asked urgently. So much for miss psychic.

Mercedes gave and exasperated sigh, "Yeah, we know," she said defensively. "But don't tell either of them that you know anything!" she looked around the room, knowing that this order would go unfollowed, but she couldn't help it. "They went out once, but Tina told Artie that she was faking her stutter, and the jerk dumped her for lying about a disability! So that's why they weren't talking to each other for a while, but she convinced him to talk to her again, but he insisted that they were just friends. But it doesn't take a genius to see that she still has the hots for him, and no matter how much he denies it now, she still means the world to him," Mercedes spilled over like a broken dam, while Kurt was hiding his face behind one of his hands. When she was done, it was quiet.

"Well Artie told us about the stutter thing. And the date thing. And then he yelled us," Brittany thoughtfully replied.  
"Yeah we knew that already, but have you guys talked to him? Dumping her for not having a stutter seems like a strange thing to do," Quinn commented, knowing that she (and everyone else in the room) didn't have much advice worth giving on relationships.  
Mercedes sat back, looking at Kurt again. She paused before speaking again, "Look, we're all pretty messed up when it comes to this sort of thing, but those two deserve to be happy."  
"Do you have a plan?" Santana surprisingly joined the conversation.  
"Not yet," Kurt interjected. "Artie won't talk about it. Typical male," he continued, looking over the bridge of his upturned nose as he usually did. "And now that _someone_ leaked that we bet on them, Tina is reluctant to talk, too." As he said this he gave a pointed look to Mercedes, who shrank under his gaze.  
Finn furrowed his brow at this, "You bet on them?"  
Kurt rolled his eyes slightly, "Yes. I lost our initial bet since they got together before sectionals. Now the bet is based on where they get back together," he explained quickly. These details seemed trivial, but there was some obvious interest from the other glee clubbers.  
Puck seemed to fidget in his chair. "Can we get in on this?" he asked, his eyes shifting around the room.  
A mischievous glint came to Kurt's eyes. "Of course. As long as- and this is _very_ important- you don't try to interfere with them," he explained. "I'll have four categories. Here in the choir room, at the park nearby, on campus, or off campus. The specific locations pay out twice as much as the general."  
"Kurt, they are going to _kill_ you when they find out," Mercedes hissed.  
He gave a knowing smile, "No they won't. No one bet that they _won't_ get together. So whenever this does pay out, I'm assuming they'll be too happy to care," he rationalized in his usual airy voice as the glee kids were buzzing with discussion about what they should bet on, and turning their bets in to Kurt.

In the bathroom down the hall, the scene was completely different. His hand still on hers as she breathed through the last of her sobs, she prepared herself to finally tell Artie what she had hoped she would never have to tell anybody. His presence was reassuring, but she was still nervous. She couldn't really say why- maybe she was embarrassed, or maybe she just didn't want to be just another pity party. Artie was being wonderfully patient with her, she realized that. He had sat with her in silence for the last five minutes as she gained whatever composure she could muster. She looked at him apologetically, but she was only met by the comforting and understanding brilliance that were his eyes. With a sigh she looked down at her naked wrists, and finally started to speak.

"About a week ago I noticed that my parents weren't getting along as well as they usually do. I don't know what happened exactly, they… still won't tell me that something is wrong," Tina paused, looking up at Artie, who was still calmly listening. "Well yesterday, the day I was late coming home, I came in to find them fighting again. And me showing up late just directed all their anger at me."

Artie, still unsure of where this was going, felt some guilt. She was late because of him, "Tee, I'm sorr-"  
"No, Artie. I told you, I would rather face the anger of my parents than potentially leave you tied to a pole overnight. That's stupid, don't apologize," she interrupted sharply. There was no anger in her voice, only perhaps a bit of impatience. She only had this one shot to tell him the truth. After this she probably wouldn't have the resolve to fully talk about it again.

"Anyway, after yelling at me for a while, I went to hide in my room, but I could still hear them fighting. They broke some things downstairs, and I heard them… talk about me. Apparently, they hadn't planned to have a child at the time, so I was…" she didn't know if she could finish the statement without breaking down again, so she stopped, taking a shaky breath. She quickly glanced up at Artie again, his sad, caring eyes wrenching her heart even more. In that moment she decided he was the most wonderful person she had every met- and probably will ever meet. She had to be strong for him. Tina didn't look away this time as she gathered whatever strength she had left to finish, "… a mistake."

Artie held her gaze as long as he could, but he felt her slipping away. As some sorry attempt to pull her back from her imminent break down, he squeezed her hand, but it was no use. Tina doubled over in her chair, her head resting on her knees. Artie held a glimmer of hope when she didn't pull her hand out from under his. "Tee…" he crooned quietly, rubbing his thumb over her wrist, trying to get some reaction from her. When she started to shake a bit, Artie sighed sadly.

Tina suddenly felt her hand go cold. A wave of panic flooded over her. Had he left her there? Was she really that pathetic? She only shook harder at the thought, doing her best to suppress the offending sobs.  
But her panic was eased when she felt a timid hand make contact with her back. And then another hand invade her own. And her shaking subsided when his voice came to her again.

"Tina, please listen to me," he pleaded softly. "No matter what they might have said, or what they might say, just know that there's a whole room of people down the hall who care about you. They might have a weird way of showing it sometimes, but they really do care about you," Artie watched her shakes slow, so he continued to speak, "and what that Karovski asshole said- that I would be better off without you," Artie was hurt to the core just thinking about it. "Look at me, Tee," he demanded, a bit more forceful than before. It worked, because she managed to look over at him, eyes glassy with tears again. "Tina, it's not true. He's just jealous that he doesn't have friends like you. I don't think anyone would have saved him from a flagpole," he said, ending with a smile. The corners of her mouth twitched upward, as close to a smile as she'd been so far, which was enough for Artie. "So whatever he said, it's all just because he's too stupid and annoying to have real friends."

Tina appreciated the sentiment, but she wasn't quite convinced. Maybe it was the vulnerability when the jocks had pinned her to the lockers, but Karovski's words shook her to the core. Or maybe it was the truth that he had uttered that caused her to go nuts.  
"Artie…" Tina started quietly, her eyes drifting down to the linoleum floor, "It's not just that… Karovski said something else that I think Matt didn't hear." He just looked at her quietly, not really ready for what she would say next. "Apparently one of my parents called Karovski's dad…" Tina continued, taking another break to gather the words that she needed to keep speaking, "…his dad is one of the only divorce attorneys in Lima," she managed to finish before letting her head sink back down to her knees.

Artie, a child of two loving parents, was a bit stunned. The concept of parents divorcing with a child, a teenager no less, was nothing short of horrifying. "Oh Tee… I'm so sorry," he tried to sooth, not wanting to hear another sob from Tina.  
"I don't know what to do, Artie," Tina responded, her voice muffled by her knees. Deciding she had done enough crying for one day, she held back the tears as best as she could.  
He thought for a moment before giving her hand another gentle squeeze. "You don't need to do anything, Tee… if things get hard over at your house, you know you can stay with me," he thought about the prospect of Tina sleeping over at his house, and decided that it would be a bad influence on the friends-only resolve that he was so set on. "Or I'm sure if you ask Mercedes, she would be happy to have you."

Artie's mind suddenly went to Karovski. His blood boiled. "And don't worry about Karovski. I'll take care of him," Artie's voice was unusually dark, causing Tina to inquisitively glance over at him, but he wasn't looking at her anymore, he was staring daggers at the wall, obviously deep in thought.

Artie had a new resolve. His revenge would be swift and terrifying.


	19. Hate on Me

**A/N: **_As I'm sure I mentioned in the last chapter, I actually wrote this chapter before the last one. I just got really inspired by listening to Hate on Me. Plus, this chapter was a LOT of fun for me to write. There's not much in the way of plot progression here, but I do recommend listening to Hate on Me while reading this.  
QotU will be at the end of the chapter, because it's kinda related to the subject matter._

**Chapter 19 : Hate on Me**

"Finn," Artie said in an oddly solemn tone, wheeling up beside his freakishly tall friend.  
"Uhh… hey Artie, what's up?" Finn responded, slightly weirded out by Artie's lack of smile and serious demeanor. And after yesterday's high-drama rehearsal, Finn was smart enough to be wary.  
"I need a favor" Artie smirked slightly, frightening Finn all that much more.  
"What do you need?"  
"Can you show me where Karovski's jock locker is?"  
Finn paused for a moment to consider Artie, who was dead-serious in front of him. He gave a definitive nod, and smiled. He had no idea what his wheelchair-bound friend was planning, but based on how smart he's proved to be so far, it was bound to be good.

After school, while Karovski was at practice but before glee really got started, Finn snuck Artie into the locker room. Artie couldn't help but cringe at the awful smell, but he was on a mission. Finn took a few moments to look around to make sure the room was actually empty, then pushed Artie over to where he knew Karovski's locker was.  
_Damn, a top locker_, Artie internally cursed. Luckily, the lock was recklessly unlocked, though Artie was a little disappointed that he couldn't exercise his lock picking skills. Finn opened the locker for him, and sat on one of the benches as he watched Artie get to work.

Artie pulled his bag off of the back of his wheelchair and rifled through it for a moment, finding his first objective. An old window alarm. The two pieces were temporarily taped with a piece of thin, clear plastic between them. Reaching up, he planted the set on the front corner of the locker, by the hinges, so that the two halves would separate when the door was opened. He kept them taped together for now so the piecing alarm would remain disarmed. Next he took out some wires and a battery, taking a moment to untangle the mess.

"Finn, I need your help on this one," Artie half mumbled, too focused to really speak properly. But Finn jumped up excitedly, ready to take part in this sure-to-be-awesome mischief.  
"What do you need, buddy?" He asked with more enthusiasm than Artie expected. After looking up at his tall friend with a mixed look of amusement and confusion, he handed the ends of two wires to Finn.  
Artie set the battery up and placed it in the locker, instructing Finn to push it back to the back corner, keeping the wires tucked into the metal edge leading to the front. The next part was difficult, and Artie found himself having to explain the process of threading the wire through the lock in more detail than he ever expected. As much as he liked Finn, the guy was pretty slow. But after it was all set up, Artie smiled in sadistic satisfaction,  
"When Karovski opens his locker, that part slides up, and the ends of the wires will connect to complete the circuit," he explained, more for himself than for Finn, who just nodded along, obviously not really understanding. Artie reached up to slide the locker shut. As he reached for the plastic tab in the window alarm, Finn curiously reached up and toggled the latch on the locker. "Finn, I wouldn't do-"  
He was too late, Finn was already howling in pain, shaking his hand in the air. "…that," Artie finished with a bit of a laugh. The shock delivered was too mild to cause actual damage, but the surprise value really got the heart rate going.  
"Damn Artie, that hurt!" Finn whined.  
"That's for Karovski, not you," Artie pointed out, reaching up to slip out the piece of plastic, activating the window alarm system. "At least you tried to open it before this thing was on," he mused, though he saw Finn's hand twitch. "Don't even think about it, Finn. That alarm is loud enough for them to hear out there!"

Finn flinched his hand away, looking down at the remaining supplies in Artie's lap. "So what's next?"  
Artie couldn't help but grin. The next part was his favorite, though most crude. Artie suddenly became busy, setting up a small network of strings. Finn noticed there was a cup and a toy gun involved, but decided not to ask until Artie was done. When Artie did finally settle down after hiding the evidence from plain sight, he sighed in satisfaction, admiring his own work. He was quiet for a moment until he saw Finn more antsy than a four year-old at a cake shop.  
"Finn, come look at this," Artie beckoned, and Finn followed instantly, looking around for some obvious clue. "I set up a tripwire with some dental floss," he pointed to the line that lay invisible on the floor. "When he opens the locker, it'll activate this retractor that I took from some window blinds, which will pull the line tight when he closes it. When Karovski trips the wire, this dart gun will fire at the locker with a note on the dart, and a slushie will fall on his head." Artie beamed up at Finn, who had that goofy smile of his on his face.  
"Gosh Artie, you're really smart," Finn said in awe as he looked at the series of thin line, not really understanding any part of it except for the fact that it was really awesome. "After all that happens, is he free to go?"  
Artie nodded. "Yup," he answered definitively, but noticed that Finn looked a little disappointed. "Don't worry, I filled his car with golf balls," Artie reassured with a twisted smile as he wheeled past. "I also put a small camera on the dart gun so we can watch."

After a high-five from Finn, they both wheeled out to get to glee before they were late enough to get everyone angry. But Artie had a feeling once he set up live feed from the locker room, no one would really mind them being late.

"Nice of you two to show up," Mr. Shue greeted sarcastically, tapping his foot as Finn pushed Artie into the choir room.  
With a sterling smile, Artie looked up at their director. "Sorry Mr. Shue, we had some very important business to attend to," Artie said as innocently as possible as he slipped his laptop on top of the piano, cracking it open to reveal the slightly pixilated video coming from his planted camera.  
Everyone looked curiously at the screen, not exactly sure what they were looking at until Mike spoke up, "Uhh… isn't that the locker room? More specifically, isn't that…" As he realized exactly what he was looking at, he quietly let out an 'ooh' of understanding. Everyone looked at him, still confused. "It's Karovski's locker," he said in a hushed voice, as if the name was taboo or something.

Tina's introspective silence was shattered as she heard the name Karovski. Her head jerked up, looking around quickly. Her eyes landed on a smug looking Artie. She then followed his gaze to the small laptop screen on the piano.  
Mr. Shue took a closer look at the screen, then looked at the excited looking glee kids. "Artie, what's this all about?" he asked dubiously.  
Artie gave one of his million-dollar smiles, "Just some entertainment, Mr. Shue," he politely replied. "We can rehearse until he shows up."

After some thought, Mr. Shue nodded and started rehearsal. Everyone did a half-ass job, as they all seemed to keep one eye on the screen (except for Rachel, of course). Finally Quinn made a little squeaking noise and pointed, attracting everyone's attention away from an exasperated Mr. Shue. "Alright, guys, we'll take a little break for whatever this is," he sighed, though everyone had already pulled chairs up around the piano to get a closer look at the screen.  
Finn pushed one chair in front, and guided Tina to it. "I think Tina and Artie get front row seats for this one," he said with a smile. After a mumble of agreement from the rest of the club, Artie made his way to Tina's side.

"So what _is_ this all about, Artie?" Tina asked in a whisper once he had parked next to her.  
He just continued to grin, glancing at her for only a moment before fixating back on the screen in front of him. "Oh you'll see, Tee. You'll see."

On screen the hockey team filed in, taking off their gear and getting their regular clothes out of their lockers. Finally the star of the show, Karovski trudged over to his locker. Almost instantly there was a cry of pain as he tried to open the locker, lifting the latch and receiving the unpleasant shock. Everyone in glee laughed, and Finn called out, "It really does hurt pretty bad, I tried it!" which was only answered by strange looks and the sound of Artie chuckling.  
Karovski pulled some of the other jocks to try opening, all with similar responses. Finally Karovski pushed them all aside, determined to open the locker. He quickly lifted the latch, receiving the shock, but he struggled through the pain to force the door open, only to trigger the loud, shrill window alarm, sending everyone in the room into a confused panic. Karovski had his hands clenched over his ears for a moment, before relenting to the situation at hand. He quickly grabbed his things out of his locker and slammed it shut, confident that he was out of danger.  
"Oh this is the best part," Finn whispered, as if it was his favorite movie.  
There was a single moment of calm before the large blue slushie came down from on top of the lockers to dump on Karovski's head, seeping through his sports gear. But it wasn't over yet. With an eerie click, the dart gun triggered, sending a sticky bolt from across the way to land with a loud thump on Karovski's closed locker. They were rewarded with a girl-like shriek from Karovski, sending waves of laughter through the choir room as they observed the scene. A note hung from the end, dripping with what looked like blood.  
"I had it soaking in red paint while it was loaded so it would drip when it fired," Artie explained quietly, looking around at everyone, who were all still fixated on the screen. After another minute of panic on Karovski's part, he sprinted out of the room, leaving the rest of the team baffled and most likely a little freaked out.  
Artie wheeled forward to close the laptop, and then turned around to see everyone staring, perhaps shocked at what they had seen. Suddenly, Puck started the applause, and everyone was clapping and cheering. Artie sheepishly smiled, and gave a mock bow.  
"Thank you all, I couldn't have done it without my tall sidekick, Finn," Artie spoke, gesturing towards a grinning Funn Hudson, who looked like his feet were rubberized by the way he was practically bouncing.  
"And Artie filled Karovski's car with golf balls!" Finn excitedly responded, eliciting laughter from the rest of the glee kids.

The excited atmosphere was only spoiled by the nervous face of Mr. Shuester. "Artie… as impressive as that was-"  
"In all due respect, Mr. Shue, but that jerk made Tina cry," Artie interrupted.  
"…aaaand he tied you to a flagpole and stole your wheelchair," Puck added emphatically.  
"Uh, yeah. And that," Artie agreed hesitantly, brow a bit furrowed at Puck's tone. What was he implying? Artie was a bit busy to ponder this too long, so he shook it off and turned to Mr. Shue, but Rachel beat him to the punch.  
"Mr. Shuester, you can report Artie if you want to, but my two gay dads have a lot of connections, and what that Karovski character did is enough to get charged with assault and discrimination," she said definitively, ending in a sharp nod.  
Mr. Shue waved his hands, shaking his heads, "Guys, guys, chill out. I would _never_ think to report Artie for getting a little revenge, I'm just concerned that this will only get you in more trouble with the bullies."  
Santana tossed her head and scoffed, "Are you kidding? Karovski is a complete tool. I wouldn't be surprised if he crapped his pants."  
Artie allowed himself to smile again. He never felt so much support from the club all at once- even more than the bake sale thing. This time it was voluntary, and they seemed to be willing to defend him from someone as important as Mr. Shue. He looked over at Tina, who had remained silent, but she was halfway smiling at him.  
"I'm proud of you," Tina said quietly, before looking around at the rest of the glee kids, who had started talking amongst themselves about the situation in which they now found themselves.

Mr. Shue cancelled the rest of rehearsal, since it was very obvious that nothing was going to get done. Everyone slowly left, still buzzing about what might happen now, and how awesome the setup had been. Even Mr. Shue gave Artie a quick pat on the back for finally sticking up for himself. Artie didn't bother to correct him- he wasn't acting on his own behalf.

Finally Artie had gathered his things, and he looked up to see Tina sitting up on the piano, his laptop in her hands. He smiled and wheeled over to get it from her. As he packed it back in his bag, she hopped down to take control of his wheelchair. They were quiet until they were out of the choir room. They didn't make it halfway down the hallway before Tina leaned over his shoulder to put her face near his.

"So what did the note say, Artie?" she asked hesitantly, honestly surprised that no one had asked earlier. Probably too busy being shocked that Artie had the balls to do all that.  
Artie smiled, turning his head slightly so he could get a better look at her.

"You're it, Asshole," he stated with a smug grin, to which she also smiled. She leaned down further, snaking her arms around his neck for a semi-awkward hug from behind.  
"And you said _I_ was bad," she chuckled before settling in to a slight smile. "Thank you, Artie," she softly spoke into his ear. He leaned his head back on her shoulder and reached up to touch her arm.  
"Anytime, Tee," he responded, his voice warm with sincerity.

Tina stood up, and paused for a moment before taking control of his wheelchair again, "You mean, you'll set up elaborate sabotage to avenge my honor?" she asked casually, trying not to laugh.  
Artie couldn't help himself, he chortled at the remark. "Yeah, I guess that is what I mean."

**A/N: **_All of the pranks Artie pulls in this chapter have been executed by me at some point or another, but not usually for malicious purposes, and never all at once. It's either been for fun or for revenge. To be fair, my school has a notorious reputation for pulling epic pranks (we hold both #1 and #3 for top college pranks of all time). Did I mention I'm a nerd? I think so._

_QotU: Have you ever pulled any cool pranks?_


	20. Don't Make Me Over

**A/N: **_Wow guys, this is chapter 20. That's so much farther than I thought I'd get. I figured 2 chapters for each episode and then the final chapter plus/minus an epilogue, which would have been… somewhere around 11 – 13 chapters. So thanks for encouraging me to continue.  
And I got a comment about Finn being excited about being part of the scheme. It reminded me of a Dane Cook quote- "the one thing guys want more than sex- to be a part of a heist"  
Anyway, my answer from QotU is pretty much in the last chapter, so  
This time, on QotU: I'm actually really curious about this one, especially to you authors that write multi-chapter stories: What's your brainstorming process? Do you have a special place or routine that you have?_

**Chapter 20 : Don't Make Me Over**

The week was really different for Tina and Artie. They were able to navigate the halls of McKinley with no fear of slushies- or worse. They even had a little fun, making sure that they were always together in the hallway. Whenever they spotted Karovski with his minions on their way, they would stop and look angry until he scurried away like a submitting dog with his tail between his legs. In fact, the entire glee club spent the entire week slushie-free. When the following Friday's glee rehearsal ended, Artie was rewarded with a series of congratulatory hair ruffles, high-fives, and pats on the shoulder, with special gratitude from Quinn and Kurt. They all knew that this peace was temporary, but they loved it just the same. And Tina was determined to have a good weekend.

Everyone left rehearsal in their usual manner, a bit perkier than usual.  
"I think you're their new hero," Tina spoke up, smirking at Artie as he went about his usual routine. She sat on the edge of the piano again, swinging her black boot-clad feet gently.  
Artie looked up with one of his signature sheepish smiles. He had to admit she looked adorable up there, dangling her feet like that. "Well they have you to thank, then," he finally answered her after watching her for a few seconds.  
She tilted her head slightly, "And why is that, then?" she asked, knowing full well why, but she was in one of her light-hearted moods, which was always inadvertently flirtatious.  
Oblivious as usual, Artie answered in full honesty as usual, "Well you punched Karovski in the face for me, so that setup was all for you, Tee."  
She gave a coy smile as she hopped off the piano, "And I'll never forget that, Artie." She took a moment to smooth out her skirt, then sauntered to Artie's side. "You ready to go? Don't want to keep your dad waiting again."  
Artie froze up for a second. He had totally forgotten that he asked his dad not to pick him up today so he could walk Tina home, since it had been about a week since they last spent some time together. He looked over at her, "Actually, he's not picking me up today. Want to hang out for a while?"  
She nodded emphatically, "You know I'd rather do anything except go home."  
There was an awkward silence, the implications of her words heavy in the air.  
"eh… let's go," Tina quickly waved it away, still determined to be in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Artie followed Tina for once out the door. She seemed to have an unusual spring in her step. Artie imagined it was the combination of a slushie-free Friday, and the dramatic events from the past week that came to an unusually favorable outcome.

"Come on, slowpoke!" she called behind her, glancing over her shoulder.  
"Did someone slip you something this morning, Tee?" he chuckled , trying to keep up with her as best as he could.  
She stopped and turned when she reached the door, "No, I'm just really glad this week is over," she answered, opening the door for him.  
"Hmm well, shall we go to the park, then?" he ventured, wheeling past her and down the ramp, giving one suspicious glance behind him, in case she decided to repeat her bad-girl stunt from before. He wheeled backwards for a while as she came down the ramp to catch up with him.

She followed after him with a playfulness he hadn't seen in a long time. He did his best to keep his suspicion at bay. If she was really so hell-bent on having a good day, he wasn't going to take that away. Serious talk could be saved for another day. He turned around when she finally caught up, and the air was filled with her laughter as they strolled down the sidewalk to the familiar park.

When they reached the familiar site, Tina jumped behind Artie's chair and took control. "Okay pokey, let's go," she mumbled, and Artie knew better than to object. But instead of parking by the bench like they usually did, Tina pulled a repeat of the night they were there the week before. She must have sensed his moment of unease, because she let go of the chair and offered to help him down onto the grass. "Don't worry, I'm not going to cry," she reassured. Thinking, she was quiet while Artie slid out of his chair and onto the ground, holding his torso upright with his hands. She smiled as she sat next to him, "And I'll try my best not to come on to you," she added in such a nonchalant manner, Artie couldn't help but laugh. He realized he should be more bothered by this statement, but he couldn't bring himself to be the least be upset by her right now.

"If you say so, Tee," he responded between chuckles as he watched her fall on to her back with a soft 'oof'. He also dropped to his back, putting his hands behind his head. "It's been quite the week, huh?" he breathed, looking up at the cloudy sky.

"You can say that again," she answered, some exhaustion finally showing in her voice. "At least it seems like everyone in glee is coming together," she mused, "Finn doesn't have that rabid animal face when he looks at Puck anymore, which is a relief."

Artie turned his head to look at her beside him. She was also looking up at the turbulent sky, much more intently than he had been. With a smile he decided to look around the park a little, propping himself up on his elbows. The park was relatively quiet for a Friday afternoon. Perhaps it was the cloudy day, or that it was on the chilly side as winter started to creep over the little town of Lima. But Artie's attention was caught by something across the park.

"Tee…" he said, not looking over at his friend. When he was just answered with a grunt, he glanced over to find Tina still looking up at the clouds through half-lidded eyes. "As comfy as you look down there, help me out here," Artie cajoled her. He knew asking for help was a low blow, but it worked. She sat up slowly, running a hand through her hair, picking out some rogue grass blades.  
"What's up, Artie?" she asked, looking him over.  
"Look over there," he instructed nodding his head in the direction he was staring. "You have better vision than me, but I think that might be…" he trailed off, squinting to try and focus, to no avail.  
She followed his gaze, looking around for a moment, but then her eyes fell on the figure he was referring to. "I think you're right. Stay here," she realized how silly her command was, and was glad to hear Artie snort at its stupidity. That was something she loved about Artie. He took stuff like that in stride instead of bothering to get ultra sensitive. But she had to push the thoughts aside as she got up and briskly walked towards the huddled person across the patch of grass.

Artie watched from afar as Tina shrunk down beside the other person. There was an obvious exchange that he couldn't hear, but Tina managed to grab the person by the arm and they both slowly walked back towards him. He smiled at the approaching person, patting the grass beside him.

"Wow… you're tall, Artie," Quinn tried to mask the sadness in her voice as she spoke, sitting down next to him as Tina returned to his other side, laying down again. Artie smiled at her and nodded.  
"Yup, Tina made me do this last week, and we made this discovery," Artie spoke lightly, very aware of Quinn's discomfort. "Sorry you got discovered by dorks like us, Quinn. But Tina's in a weird mood and won't take no for an answer today."  
Tina laughed, but reached over and slapped him on the arm, which he objected to with a loud "Hey!" though he was laughing, too.  
Quinn looked between the two of them, letting a small smile come over her face. "I didn't think anyone would find me here," she admitted, "but I'm glad that if anyone had to find me here, it would be you guys." Her voice was quiet, as it had always been ever since her pregnancy had gone public.

Despite her recent closeness with glee, Artie and Tina were still surprised by this honesty. They both looked over at her.  
"Really?" Artie said, with one of his dubious expressions. When Quinn looked uncomfortable again, he thought fast to change the atmosphere, "Or are you just saying that so Tina doesn't sock you in the nose?"  
Quinn laughed once, but it was enough. She looked over at the pair that was lying on the grass. "You guys are really something, you know that?" she pointed out, raising one of her well-groomed eyebrows.  
Artie looked over at Tina, who was smirking at him. "Yeah you could say that," he agreed.  
"We're the badass nerds," Tina chimed in, raising a hand for a high-five, to which Artie complied with a loud laugh.

As much as Artie enjoyed having casual banter with Quinn, he couldn't help but feel a burning curiosity He turned his head to look at her inquisitively, "So Quinn… the park is nice and everything, but what are you doing here all alone?"  
She shifted uncomfortably, obviously not expecting such a direct question. "Well I suppose I'm here to try and figure out what to do. As I'm sure you know, I got kicked out of my house."  
While Quinn had begun to speak, Tina scooted closer to Artie, and rested her head on his shoulder, grumbling something about not being able to see properly. Once she had her headrest, she was able to watch Quinn without straining her neck. When Quinn mentioned getting kicked out, they both nodded.  
"I'm not sure how everyone hears about this so quickly," Quinn pondered out loud, taking her eyes off the two friends in the grass next to her.  
"Finn told Kurt," Tina responded. No more explanation was required, everyone would know once Kurt told Mercedes.

Quinn nodded silently, and took another moment to think. "I was living with Finn, but now that we're not together, I don't really have anywhere to go," her voice got really quiet at the end, like saying it aloud made it more real.  
Artie turned his head to look at Tina, still on his shoulder. He gently sighed, then looked back. "I'd say you could stay with one of us, but I don't think you would like either of our living situations," he did his best to avoid mentioning Tina's living condition specifically.  
"It's okay, I have offers from Brittany and Matt's family, so I have places that I can stay, but I can't stay there forever."

He thought for a moment, "I know it sounds weird, but have you talked to Mr. Shue? I mean, I know he loves Finn with an awkward amount of paternal care, but I still think he would help you."  
Quinn sighed. There were a lot of reasons why Mr. Shue wouldn't want to help her. She considered the consequences of telling Artie and Tina about what she knew. When she turned her head to look at them, Artie watching her with genuine concern, and Tina resting on his shoulder watching intently, she knew that they wouldn't judge her. It was a good feeling. "I don't think Mr. Shuester would want to help me. It's not just Finn…" she paused, convincing herself that this was a good idea, "but it's also partially my fault that he had to leave his wife."  
Tina's brow furrowed at the idea. "How? We only got to meet Mrs. Shuester when she became the school nurse and slipped us all drugs!"  
Quin smirked, "Yeah, she's absolutely insane. She was going to be the one to adopt my baby."  
"But then wouldn't Mr. Shue have known that? You don't just bring home a baby as a surprise like you do with a puppy," Artie pointed out.  
"As I said, she's really insane. She faked a pregnancy. She was going to come home from the hospital with my baby," Quinn sighed, then gave one dry laugh, "Though, if you think she's crazy, you should meet her sister! But the point is, Mr. Shue found out that the pregnancy was fake, and I made the lie possible."

They were all silent for a while. It was a lot to take in. It was Tina who spoke up first.  
"He a forgiving guy, Quinn. You should talk to him anyway. He always seems to know what to do. Or he asks Ms. Pillsbury and she knows what to do," Tina ended in a chuckle.  
Quinn smiled, glad that Tina held the door open for a subject change. "I think there's something going on with them. I walk by her office sometimes, and he almost always there when he's not in class or glee." But Quinn was suddenly distracted by something else. The blaring similarities between the Mr. Shue - Ms. Pillsbury's relationship and the Artie - Tina relationship. The way she looked up at him with those quietly longing eyes, and the way he indulged her with contact and that was too intimate to be friendly, to keep her hanging on. She was given more time to observe them as they picked up the conversation.  
"Yeah, and when he named her his replacement for sectionals, that just made us all more suspicious," Artie agreed. "Now that he's left his wife, I hope they can finally get together."  
Tina, who seemed to read Quinn's eyes, decided to take the conversation in that direction, "Well maybe he doesn't like her that way. Maybe he just wants to be best friends," she emphatically spoke these words.  
Artie looked like he was deep in thought, "Then I feel bad for her, it must hurt to like someone that close to you."  
Quinn interrupted the exchange with her own 'insight', "Well maybe he felt betrayed that she was going to marry Coach Tanaka, even though she was really just being honest."  
Tina looked at Quinn carefully, impressed at her sensitivity in picking up what this was really all about.  
"She was going to marry that guy?" Artie asked in surprise.  
Quinn nodded, "Mrs. Shuester told me. She's a worse gossip than Mercedes. But I think Mr. Shue forgave her for it," she added pointedly.  
But Artie had a different agenda, "Then he can sure forgive you, Quinn. Talk to him, I'm sure he can help you."

Quinn looked at Tina, who had a half smile. Artie wasn't big on picking up subtlety, and Tina could tell that it was frustrating Quinn to no end. "He is right, you know," Tina added quietly, causing Quinn to throw up her arms in defeat,  
"You two are impossible!" This statement had many layers of meaning which only Tina picked up on. Artie just smiled; sure he had won this argument. Quinn managed to get back on her feet with a loud groan. After giving a polite smile, she excused herself.

_I should have bet on the park._


	21. Defying Gravity

**A/N: **_Bleh. Bad day today. Will ramble in next chapter. Luckily I wrote this chapter land QotU answer late yesterday.  
My answer to last chapter's QotU: I actually don't have a schedule for writing, but I find that I get the best ideas while driving or in the shower. It's a saying at my school that 'scientists work in labs, engineers work in shops, theorists work in papers, and math majors work in the shower.' There are actually water proof white boards in a couple of the showers, always littered with math. So I take that to heart, and find that my best thought processes happen in the shower, so 9/10 times, I'm writing while wet, fresh out of the shower.  
This time on QotU: What is your least favorite day of the week?_

**Chapter 21 : Defying Gravity**

They watched as Quinn made her way out of the park, heading in an unknown direction. There was no telling where she might go. When she was out of sight, they turned their attention back on each other, still lying on the grass as the afternoon wore on.

"Why do I get the feeling that you and Quinn were having a whole separate conversation just then?" Artie asked, his face curious as usual.  
Tina gave a weak smile. She wished he wasn't so oblivious all the time. "Because we were," she responded, trying to keep her mood as upbeat as it had been before. She felt a pang in one of her shoulders from laying too long on a particularly uncomfortable patch of earth, and decided to roll over, propping herself up on her forearms. Seeing his face remaining just as curious as before, she cut him off before he asked any more questions, "It's a girl thing."

He seemed content with this answer and allowed a smile to return to his face, now looking up at Tina, whose face was hovering beside his. "Do you think Quinn will be okay?" he asked, glancing in the direction she had gone.

"Yeah," Tina responded with a nod. "She might look dainty and elegant, but she's a fighter. She's been incredibly mature about this whole baby thing, even if she did kinda use Finn there for a while."  
Artie thought for a while, then nodded in agreement. "At least she's willing to talk to us about what's going on now."

She smiled slightly at this. It was nice to have Quinn talking to them, rather than looking at them with distain- as had been custom until recently. Looking down at Artie, she met his blue eyes with her own. Her smile widened just by catching that incredible gaze of his. "I wish things could always be like this, Artie," she admitted softly.

Artie seemed taken aback slightly, then stopped to think. "Yeah, too bad Karovski will be replaced by some other jock as soon as they all notice that he won't touch anyone in glee," he answered with disappointment.  
That wasn't what Tina was talking about, but she nodded anyway.

"You have grass in your hair, Tee," Artie suddenly pointed out with a soft laugh.  
"Oh really? I wonder where _that_ came from," she answered with surplus sarcasm. Shifting her wait, she quickly used a hand to brush some of the grass out of her hair.

Apparently she failed, because Artie reached up a hand to pick out the blades of grass from her raven and blue locks. Tina bit back a whimper. This was torture for her, having him so close, yet so far at the same time. Her smile faded as his hand lingered at the back of her neck for a moment, his fingers barely a whisper against her scalp. It sent a shiver down her spine, which did not go unnoticed by the offender.  
"You cold, Tina?" he asked in quiet concern, searching her face. His fingers went back to picking through her hair for grass.  
She could only shake her head and tear her eyes away from his.

Tina's mind was racing. She closed her eyes, trying to shut her brain up. _Just do it, you baby. How much longer can you pretend that being around him isn't killing you?  
But I can't live without him.  
He's being a coward. If he's really your best friend, then you can get through this._

"You okay, Tee?" he cut off her thoughts, trying to meet her eyes.  
She took a breath, gathering whatever courage she could muster. "Artie… I'm so sorry," she said quietly, finally returning his caring gaze.  
"For what?" he asked, face turning from worry to confusion, which Tina would readily admit were both adorable looks for him. That, combined with his fingers in her hair, was making her increasingly nervous.  
But she couldn't think about that now as she looked into his eyes with steely determination. "I know I said I'd try not to, but I can't take it anymore," she realized that she was on the verge of rambling, but stopped herself, speaking before Artie could interrupt. "So I'm sorry… for this."

She took one more second to scan his increasingly confused features before she leaned over him, pressing her lips down on his. Tina was hesitant, gentle and soft; but her heart broke as she felt Artie recoil from the contact.

It took Artie a while to properly react. His hand was still entwined in her hair, and his back was against the ground. He felt a sense of panic, his mind racing.  
_What is she doing? This changes everything…  
Why don't you just let yourself enjoy it? She likes you- you like her, what's the big deal?  
I can't live without her, this makes things difficult.  
_Artie managed to gain control of his arms, putting pressure on her shoulders, forcing her away from him. He was gentle, but stern.

"Tina…" he whispered, her face still only inches away from his, though he couldn't stand to look her in the eyes. Their breathing was ragged, and he could feel her shaking. He tried to get himself together to gently tell her off, but she apparently had other plans. Her shaking stopped and her voice returned.  
"Shut up, Artie. If you really want, pretend this never happened," she spoke a little louder and with a bit more aggression than she had intended, trying to feel as confident as she sounded. He must have been comforted by this proposition, as he raised his eyes to lock with hers, and she took his lack of struggle as silent permission.

Lowering herself onto her side, Tina removed his glasses, tossing them aside before reclaiming his lips yet again, now able to use a free hand to touch the side of his face.  
Artie remained still for a minute, still unsure of what was exactly going on. _Maybe it's the boost of confidence from the Karovski incident. Or maybe she's feeling neglected with her parents-  
_He felt her move her hand from his face and into his hair as she moved her lips against him in a way that spread warmth throughout his body.  
_Shut up, brain._

And finally Tina was rewarded with his hand returning to the back of her neck, and the slightest pressure on her lips. She tingled all over as he started to return the kiss for once. On their 'date' all those weeks ago, he had received the kiss, earlier he had shied away from it, and now finally he was kissing her back. She could tell he was nervous. So, she moved her body closer to his, putting a bit more weight on his torso as she tried to deepen the kiss. He was still hesitant, but followed her lead, allowing his other arm to snake around her, placing his hand at the small of her back.

But all of the scooting on the grass had caused her shirt to ride up the slightest bit, so Artie's fingers came into contact with skin, causing him to flinch in embarrassment. Tina smiled, breaking the contact between their lips for a short second. Artie wasn't sure exactly what was guiding him in this venture, but he lifted his head to reconnect with her, letting his hand settle there on her back.

They stayed that way for another minute or two, going no further than innocent kisses before they finally parted, breathless. There was a moment of silent reverie before reality came crashing down on Artie. He groaned, quickly taking his hands off of her and bringing them up to his face.  
"Tee, what are we doing?" he asked through his hands.

Panic started to rise in Tina, but she didn't quite have the self-control to retract her hand from his hair. "Please don't be mad at me, Artie," she managed to squeak. "I just… needed to let you know that we're… still an option. That, even though you have some irrational fear of losing me, I'll still be here if you change your mind," she tried to rationalize. While she wasn't being completely honest, it still carried the implication that she was going for.

He looked through his fingers at her, seeing the fear in her face. "Don't worry, Tee… I'm not mad. I could have stopped you, but I didn't," he pointed out. "But I hope that someday soon you will realize why we can't…" he drifted off for a moment, moving his hands from his face, surprising himself at how much strength this was taking, "we can't do this, Tina."

Her eyes dropped. "Then I hope that someday soon, you'll realize that you're wrong," she retorted quietly, but ended with a smile. He smiled slightly back, and reached a hand up to tilt her face up so he could see her eyes.

"Maybe, Tee. But for now…"

"I know," she cut him off. They would pretend this never happened. She sighed heavily and rolled back over onto her back, laying there for a moment before deciding to sit up. "But do me a favor- try to remember what we were talking about with Quinn. And read between the lines. That's the only way to understand girls," she gave him a little jab in the ribs as she said this, managing to get a chuckle out of him.

"Okay, I will," he agreed, rubbing the spot where she had assaulted him. As she stood up, he couldn't help but speak up, "I have to say, Tee…" he looked away to hide the blush that was threatening to take over his face, "…you're a really good kisser."

Offering him his glasses back, she smirked to herself.

"You need a little more practice," she teased, though as soon as she was behind his chair as he hoisted himself back into it, she found herself gently touching her lips as the tingling sensation lingered.


	22. Imagine

**A/N: **_I hate Sundays._

**Chapter 22 : Imagine**

Tina made the executive decision to get Artie home first. She pushed his chair for a short while before he carefully took over, which was understood to be an invitation for her to walk beside him. They travelled together in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but there was tension from everything that was left unsaid. Only the sound of Artie's wheels going over the cracks in the sidewalks kept them both from getting totally lost in their thoughts.

It wasn't long until they arrived in front of Artie's place, but the sun was starting to sink over the horizon. He stopped before heading up the walkway, turning towards her. She stood patiently, hands folded behind her back. It remained silent for a while longer, before Artie finally spoke,  
"You okay, Tee?"

She smiled a little and nodded, stepping towards him. "While I was debating whether or not to assault you like that, I realized that if we're really best friends, then we can get through anything if we're honest." Tina was surprised at her own insightfulness, and Artie appeared to be, too.

But he just gave a coy smile, and turned towards his house. "I won't press charges," he said back to her, and was rewarded with her soft chuckle.

"Good night, Artie," she called after him.  
"Night, Tee," he called back as he reached the door.

Tina walked back to her own house in contemplative silence. She took her sweet time, preferring the chilling air over the volatile atmosphere that she was sure to find back at her house. Her parents had yet to drop the D-bomb on her, but she could tell that their relationship was hanging by a thread, and Tina wasn't quite ready for it to snap.

At least she had Artie. She had taken a big risk in the park today, and she wasn't _really_ sure why she had done it. Usually, she could deal with having feelings for her best friend without… attacking him. She hoped he didn't feel violated or something, but as he said, he could have stopped her. Maybe it really did have to do with her parents. If she let herself admit it, she could guess that her sudden need for intimacy had to do with the distracting anger that filled her own home. And she just knew Artie would assume that, as well.

Tina stopped for a moment, stalling even longer. Finding a low wall to sit on, she jumped up to think for a while more. The more she dwelled on her parents and what it was doing to her, the more she felt guilty. She didn't want to force Artie into a situation that he was uncomfortable with just because her home life was going down the drain. She absentmindedly ran a hand through her own hair. A sigh escaped her, the air in front of her turning cloudy with the freezing mist of her own breath. After another moment of thought, she rifled through her bag to grab her phone.

But before she could do anything of her own accord, the familiar message flashed across her screen- one new message from Mercedes. She smiled a little, sliding her phone up and opening the text. But the smile was instantly erased when she read the message.

_U n Wheels back together???_

Tina dropped her hands to her lap. She didn't know what this could mean, but there was no way it could be good. She decided to keep it simple, texting a simple '_?' _back to Mercedes. She was about to start a new message, but Mercedes must have been glued to her phone. Before Tina could do anything, the phone buzzed in her hand, alerting her to the new message.

_Quinn said she saw u 2 at the park 2day_

Tina looked at the message curiously. That was totally unexpected.  
_Since when do u talk 2 Quinn?  
_She answered, and didn't even bother trying to do anything else with her phone, since she knew that Mercedes could text with record speeds. As expected, her phone buzzed only minutes after she sent the message.

_Since when do u hang with her at parks?_

She had a point, though it seemed like Mercedes was dodging the question. Then again, so had Tina.

_We found her there alone. But no Artie n I r not together_

Tina felt uneasy about this. She knew that Quinn had some interest in whether or not Artie decided to get back together with her or not, but gossiping about it with Mercedes just seemed… off. She couldn't shake the idea that if Quinn was in on it, the rest of glee couldn't be far behind.  
She suddenly remembered that she had a purpose for getting out her phone in the first place. Sliding it back open, she started a new message,

_Sorry for being such a psychopath._

Tina always made an effort to spell out all her words when she texted Artie, since he always seemed to do the same. She stared at the message for a bit before finally hitting send. She didn't know if he was anywhere near his phone, but she still sat patiently, staring at the screen while her fingers lightly danced over the keys.

She was about to give up, hop off the wall, and finally head home when the phone finally lit up as it quickly vibrated to signal the arrival of a new message. One new message from Artie. Tina stared at it for a while, slightly nervous to open it for some reason. She took a breath and selected the Read Now option.

_It's not a problem, T. You know I'm here if you need me. Are you home?_

She smiled. He was too nice for his own good, sometimes. Most of the time. He may have been a coward when it came to his own feelings, but he sure was good when he needed to be there for a friend. A shiver coursed through her body as darkness fell. It was cold, and she was vaguely aware that she hadn't eaten since lunchtime, but she still didn't want to go home. Shaking it off, Tina moved her fingers to answer the message.  
_Thanks, Artie. You're the best. No, I'm not home. I'm sitting on some random wall. I don't really want to go home yet._

An answer came back faster than she expected

_Wait, you're still outside? Isn't it cold?_

_Yep, somewhere between your house and mine. And yeah, it's freezing. _Tina chuckled to herself as she wrote this. She could bet money that he would reprimand her for this.

_Get your frozen butt home, T!_

_I dun wanna_

_Don't make me tell my mom that there's a freezing girl outside, she'll kidnap you._

_Okay, okay, I'm heading home. _Tina hopped off the wall with a defeated sigh, though her eyes were still glued to her phone.

_Good girl._

_Though… I've never met your mom…_

_Get home, T!_

She couldn't help but laugh at his apparent frustration. _I'm going, I'm going! _She quickly responded, picking up her pace as she made her way back home. Her phone buzzed once more, and she eagerly opened the message.

_Alright, T. I'm sure we'll talk tomorrow._

_Good night, Artie_

_Night night, Tina… again.  
_

Artie slid his phone shut slowly; still halfway hoping she would text again. He was lying on his bed, so his only other options were television, reading, or homework. They all sounded excessively boring that evening.

Resting the phone on his chest, he tucked his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. With a quiet sigh, his thoughts slipped back to the events of this afternoon- and the past few weeks.

He tried his best to rationalize her behavior. It had to be the parents thing. Well, he wasn't so thick that he couldn't see that she still had feelings for him. He just didn't think she had it in her to be so aggressive about it, especially after he had set a pretty clear boundary. Of course, he was still confused about the whole thing to begin with.

He wouldn't try to deny that he had fallen for her long ago, and her confession about her stutter really hadn't changed that, but his brain and heart were still in petty arguments about the consequences of getting romantically involved with his best friend. His brain was strictly anti-Tina, for the sake of keeping the most powerful friendship he could ever hope for intact. If they started some sort of relationship and it ended badly, then he might be out of a friend- his best friend, no less. And, his brain rationalized, the fact that she was normal would increase the chances of her leaving him for some other guy. Because really, she couldn't know what she's missing since the only other guy she hung out with was Kurt, who hardly even has enough testosterone to count as male.

His heart (and, he supposed, his fully functional… you know) wanted Tina. Who cares if she turned out to be normal? She still wanted him just as bad as he wanted her. She was kind, amazingly beautiful, had an incredible voice, and was always sensitive to the finer points in his life that showed that she wanted to be a part of his life. Plus, they just seemed to work together. Compliments, if you will.

There were a few things that Artie's heart and brain could agree on. He had very strong feelings for his best friend. And if Artie was going to really be with Tina, it wasn't going to be some high school fling. They were deeper than that. He didn't like thinking of the future too much, but no matter what future he might have, he wanted Tina in it somehow, whether that was as a friend or otherwise.

The only compromise seemed to be to let time go by. Maybe if Tina dated some other guys, Arte would be more keen on accepting her, but no- his heart disagreed- that would create some insane jealousy that would most likely come between them. One date, maybe? Well, time also seemed to be working against them as Tina grew bolder, or more needy, he couldn't completely tell. He couldn't even imagine how she must feel with him refusing her so much. At least she was going after what she wanted, contrary to Artie, who was too busy arguing with himself to really know what it was he wanted.

He seemed to come to a more specific conclusion. Since he didn't know whether or not her newfound level of interest had to do with her parents on a verge of separation or not, he would wait a while longer to see how things were when her family issues were settled or something. But until then, he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

The park that day was… certainly something. Was he wrong to kiss her back? Artie couldn't help but blush when he thought about it. There was no chair to get in the way; he could hold her the way he wanted to. That in itself was something, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity. Maybe it was wrong to play with her feelings that way, but in a way she was playing with his, as well. Despite all this, he couldn't deny that it was fantastic to finally kiss her.

He needed a solution. Searching his brain, he went back to the main source of his hesitation. She needed to go on a normal date to see what she has been missing. Maybe? He wasn't one hundred percent sure, and the idea could possibly ruin them, but he seemed to fixate on it for a while. Maybe it would put him at ease. Maybe then he could finally really accept that she wanted _him_ above all the able-bodied guys that she could easily get. And yet, part of him realized that this was a really stupid idea.

Despite being really stupid, Artie checked his phone to make sure he had Mike Chang's number before allowing himself to sleep.

Tina had slipped through her front door, trying not to make a sound. Not that it mattered; her mother had some sort of freaky radar that always alerted her to Tina's arrival. And before she knew it, Tina was being grilled with questions about where she'd been, why she hasn't been home, and why she wasn't looking her mother in the eye, and related questions on that general train of thought. Tina managed to escape with answers vague enough to keep her schedule in the dark, but with enough detail to satisfy her prying mother.

She nearly sprinted to her room, and flopped over on her bed with a sigh. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. Laying there for what seemed like forever, Tina managed to clear her head long enough to think. She was so confused about things with Artie, there was no way she could sort them out herself. Reluctantly, she pulled out her phone again, finding Mercedes in her contact list. She wasn't sure what can of worms she would open by telling her friend what was going on, but maybe, just maybe, Mercedes (and Kurt, no doubt) could help sort things out with a fresh perspective.

She slid open her phone to expose the little keyboard, and slowly typed out a message with one thumb, too lazy to lift her other hand from the bed.  
_U free to hang out 2morrow?_

As usual, she didn't have to wait long for a response. Mercedes must have surgically attached her phone to her hand or something.

_Come to lunch w/ me n K. Pizza place near school. 12_

_K. C u then _

Tina dropped her arm back on the bed, letting the phone slip out of her hand. She closed her eyes and heavily sighed. This could be a very bad idea, but she wouldn't be able to make any sense of herself without a little help from her friends.

**A/N: **_Wow I meant to update this yesterday, but in my hurry I uploaded it to the document manager, but didn't add it to the story. Good job me.  
Yesterday was a hard day for me, it would have been my father's 51__st__ birthday, but he died about 6 weeks ago. So that's why I didn't bother to write any author notes on the past two chapters._


	23. Somebody to Love

**A/N: **_Thanks everybody who sent well wishes, I think writing this story has actually helped me get through the hard times. Hooray catharsis!  
Anyway, next couple of chapters will feature some other characters, which should be fun to write, and hopefully fun to read. In fact, writing Mike Chang makes my day.  
And GRAWR stupid alerts are still not working. Sad Face. I'll just have to check for reviews manually until they get that fixed (watch it be fixed right as I upload this).  
QotU: What's your least favorite food?_

**Chapter 23 : Somebody to Love**

Mike Chang lay asleep, sprawled across his bed. His long, lanky limbs dangled off the edge, a sure fire sign that his twin bed was a little bit too small. The one time he asked for a bigger bed, his parents casually reminded him that most colleges have extra long beds. And that was that. Mike could live with the small bed until then. It was either that, or face the wrath of his mother. He could live with the bed.

Unfortunately, a loud chiming noise roused him out of his slumber. He sat up with an unsightly snort, scrambling to grab the phone off of his bedside table. As he looked at the screen through squinted eyes, he assumed that he must be really sleepy still, because he could have swore the phone said one new message from Artie A. With a quick yawn and a stretch, Mike rubbed away the groggy fog from his eyes, glancing at the clock. 11:30 am. Didn't people know that Saturday morning was for sleep? Regardless, he picked up his phone again. Huh. One new message from Artie A. While Mike enjoyed Artie's company, and found him quite fun to be around, they hadn't exactly… talked one-on-one before. They had each other's numbers for the sake of glee, but he never thought he'd actually get a message from anyone in glee except for Brittany and Matt, with the occasional football related message from Finn or Puck.

Out of sheer curiosity, he flipped open the phone and opened the message. "Can we talk?" Mike narrated out loud to himself. His brow furrowed at the vague question. He shrugged and began pecking at the keys on his phone.  
_Sure. Do u have IM? Am bad text_

Sure enough, a few minutes later he received Artie's details. Mike pulled his laptop off of his desk and into his lap, still refusing to get out of bed just yet. He logged into his messenger, submitted the info he had just received, and waited a few minutes for Artie to log in. Soon enough, the familiar jingle sounded that signified a contact logging in.

The conversation that ensued was, in Mike's eyes, the most bizarre and confusing exchange he could ever imagine.

It ended with,

_Okay, I'll do it, Artie. But if things start to get weird, I'm telling her the truth._

Tina arrived at the pizza parlor just after noon. Cautiously looking around, she spotted Mercedes and Kurt already chattering away in an outrageously bright red booth. Kurt sighted Tina first, waving her over. Tina greeted them both quietly, sliding into the opposite side of the table, facing her two friends. They had a mischievous glint in their eyes that made Tina guess that this was going to be more an interrogation than anything else.

"Hey guys," she started cautiously, knowing that pleasantries were only a temporary distraction from the questioning that was bound to come.

"Alright, girl, spill," Mercedes sure didn't waste any time. In response, Tina let her forehead fall to the table with a groan.

"She's determined to get every last detail out of you, so there's not much use resisting," Kurt informed her, a bit of pity lingering in his voice, though Tina knew he was just as curious as Mercedes. So she lifted her head back up to look at the pair.

"Just don't tell him I said anything, okay?" she pleaded, hoping that for once they took her request seriously.

Kurt extended a hand, gently touching one of her arms that were crossed under her chin. "We wouldn't do that. We might like gossiping, but we don't interfere."

Tina had no choice but to accept this. With a nod, she began. "Well, I guess I should start by talking about my parents…"

And so Tina launched into her story, looking down and fiddling with her paper napkin. She explained the situation at home, and her increasingly tense friendship with Artie. She told them about what he had said after the Mattressland commercial, reminded them of the sectionals fiasco (including his amazingly sensitive mention of True Colors), how he forgave her, the weird flirtatious encounters before AND after meeting Kurt and Mercedes at the park, the full details of the tie-a-cripple-to-the-flagpole incident, her needy night at the park curled up in his side, what exactly was said by Karovski (which led to her confessing the truth about her parents and the mistake-baby-that-was-Tina to Artie), how they found Quinn, and finally- she got to the part that was really confusing.

Before she could continue, she took a small break to breathe and drink some water… and get a new napkin. The one she had played with while telling the beginning of her story was sufficiently pulverized. She also took a moment to look up at Kurt and Mercedes, who were huddled together, clutching each other's arms as if they were watching a soap opera. They were leaning over the table, listening as intently as they could.

"The story isn't over, is it?" Kurt asked, anticipation thick in his voice. Tina shook her head with a slight smile. As loud and obnoxious as they could be, Tina really did love having Kurt and Mercedes as good friends. They might not understand her as well as Artie did, but they did care about her, in a crazy sort of way. And she cared about them, too. After another swig of water, she was ready to continue.

"So after Quinn got frustrated with us and left, Artie and I stayed there, laying in the grass for a while. I think he likes doing that now, since he gets to be taller than me," She trailed off, stalling the inevitable. With a sigh she continued, "So we were talking a little about Quinn and other things, and he suddenly started to pick grass blades out of my hair. I'm not really sure what came over me, but I had the sudden urge to kiss him right then and there. Soooo… I did," she sped through the last part, making sure she was looking nowhere near Kurt and Mercedes. This proved to be a wise choice, considering the squealing noise they both made.

"Damn girl, so you were lying when you answered my text!" Mercedes cajoled, grinning and giggling with Kurt.

"No. I'm not finished," Tina muttered. The sadness in her voice instantly silenced her audience. She felt their eyes boring into her, waiting for her to finish.  
"He didn't kiss me back at first. But then I told him to shut up, and promised that we could pretend nothing ever happened. And then he kissed me back. I could tell he was _really_ nervous about it, but he did," Tina had to stop and regain her composure to fight back the blush that was creeping into her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, then took another breath. "After I let go of him, he said 'we can't do this'," she made sure to make air quotes for this, "and 'I hope someday you know why' or something like that. Then we walked home. Acting like nothing happened."

"Well if that isn't the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard," Kurt was the first to react.

"That boy is totally whack! What's his problem?" Mercedes was quick to follow.

Tina decided to re-familiarize her forehead with the tabletop. "What's _my_ problem?" she groaned. "It's not like I haven't had a crush on Artie forever. But suddenly I have no control! I think it has to do with my parents…" she trailed off, trying to avoid rambling. Rambling never ended well.

There was silence for a few moments before Mercedes decided to break the silence. "Girl, I still don't get why you two aren't together! Whatever is goin' on with the 'rents, it still doesn't change the fact that he is totally into you."

"I have to agree with Mercedes. It just doesn't make any sense," Kurt added.

"He doesn't trust me like he used to, I think. Ever since the stutter thing…" Tina's throat tightened as the memory of that night flooded back to her. She buried her head in her arms, trying to speak loud enough for her friends to hear, "He said he could forgive me, but couldn't date me again."

"I'm sure Wheels just needs time. He's too smart to get all worked up about something like your stutter," Mercedes assured, her voice disturbingly soft.

But before Tina could think of an answer to that, her phone buzzed in her pocket. The table went silent, obviously assuming and/or hoping it would be Artie. Tina lifted her head to look at the screen, and her brow furrowed. When she opened it, she looked around quickly, then looked over at her friends, very confused and slightly horrified. She flicked her eyes from the screen to her friends several times before Mercedes stopped her.

"What is it, girl?" Mercedes asked impatiently. "Is it him?"

Tina was quiet for a while, rereading the message a couple more times, to make sure she was understanding it correctly. "Uhhh, no. It's not Artie," she answered bluntly. She saw the questioning looks coming from her friends and shook her head quickly. "It's, uh… Mike. I _think_ … he just asked me out?" it came out as more of a question than a statement. Instead of trying to explain herself, she just pushed the phone, sliding it over the slick table.

Kurt snatched it up quickly, reading the message. He looked over at Mercedes with a look that Tina couldn't identify. Must be one of those best friend things. Mercedes read it over quickly and let out a loud gasp. She gave Kurt another one of those unidentifiable looks, and then looked at Tina.

"Well that was unexpected," Kurt quipped, glancing at Mercedes.

"What about Brittany?" Tina pondered. She had thought the two dancers were happy together. "Should I just say no?"

"No!" They both decided, a little too eagerly. Tina was confused, so Kurt gladly elaborated, "First off, the Cheerios are on some trip to some fantastic place for a competition. And I think you should definitely say yes."

Tina couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why? I don't get it; you guys just spent the last several minutes lecturing me about Artie! Now you want me to go on a _date_ with Mike?"

"Girl, this is a great opportunity! Wheels might come around with a little jealousy," Mercedes answered with that matter-of-fact tone that meant she wasn't going to change her mind.

Kurt was quiet for a moment, then looked carefully at Tina. "Plus, I think if you dated a normal guy, then still expressed interest in Artie, he might feel more confident about it."

Tina and Mercedes looked in astonishment at Kurt. "That was… really insightful," Tina managed to say. "And I think you're right, though," she paused, yet again fighting an internal batter, "I don't want to use Mike, you know?"

"Oh don't worry about that, Other Asian will be back with Malibu Barbie as soon as she gets back, we'll make sure of that," Mercedes assured with an unnatural amount of confidence.

Tina looked apprehensively at her phone, then nodded. "Okay, I'll say yes, then." She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right, but she felt vulnerable after telling her friends everything. So she would trust them. Plus, she enjoyed Mike's company. He was attractive by most standards, too. She felt they had become friends after the ballad incident, though she was still hazy about his motives for asking her out. Maybe it was like Puck and Rachel- however weird that was. Maybe he was being pressured by his parent to date a nice asian girl.

So, while the trio chow'd down on their hot pizza, Tina managed to score a date with Mike later that evening.


	24. Maybe This Time

**A/N: **_I'm not even going to bother with QotU until the update system is fixed. Bah humbug.  
Okay I think it's somewhat fixed. It seems to be delayed or something of the sort (still driving me nuts, but better than nothing).  
I debated splitting this chapter into two, but… I'm running out of songs to title chapters with. Heh. Just kidding, I had to split it.  
My least favorite food is definitely Oranges. I dunno, anything orange-y makes me nauseous, ever since I was a little kid. It's pretty unfortunate.  
This time on QotU (I almost forgot): Since you all like reading, what is/are your favorite book(s)?  
_

**Chapter 24 : Maybe This Time**

Mike wasn't really sure why he had insisted that Artie come over to help him get ready for this sham of a date. Maybe it was so he was sure it was real because, seriously, it was ridiculous. Joining glee had made him soft, apparently. But nevertheless, he found himself sitting his living room waiting for Artie to show. Mike continued to have second thoughts about this whole thing. What if Tina ended up liking him or something? Nah, not possible. But why did she accept? He gave an exasperated sigh, flopping over onto his favorite couch. Who would have thought- Mike Chang, football player and dancer extraordinaire doing favors for Artie Abrams, the nerd in a wheelchair. And, he had a feeling, he was being equally used by Tina Cohen-Chang, the ex-stuttering goth rocker chick. Oh, and he was going on a date with her.

Why did he agree to this, again?

He suddenly got a bit of inspiration. There had to be something in it for him. Not that he really cared- if he could somehow help his new friends, he would. But still, Mike was glad to come up with some sort of compensation, equally ridiculous to this strange adventure he somehow got himself into. Grabbing a couple sheets of paper, he got to work.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later, and Mike jumped up to answer it. He let Artie in, taking a while to get him up the landing, and then a thick awkwardness hung over the room.

"Uhh… hey Artie," Mike was obviously feeling less comfortable in the situation, even though they were in his own home. That was probably because Artie knew what the hell was going on. But then he remembered the papers he had drawn up. "Oh! I have something for you," he quickly informed Artie, who was looking a bit more confused.

Mike came back and shoved two papers into Artie's lap. Startled, Artie picked them up and looked them over. "What's all this? This… makes no sense," he rambled, totally taken aback by what was written on the pages.

"It makes about as much sense as this date thing you asked me to do. Sign it, or I call it off," Mike was surprised at his own forcefulness. "It's not that big of a deal, it just says that if you and Tina get married, I'm your first pick for best man," Mike said it as best he could without laughing. Maybe this would make Artie realize that he was being insane.

Apparently not. Artie just freaked out a little, "Mike, what are you talking about? First of all, we're sixteen!"

"There's no expiration date on it," Mike calmly pointed out with a smug smile.

"And Tina and I are NOT getting together!" Artie said a bit too defensively.

Mike's smug smile didn't falter, "Then there's no problem in signing it, is there?"

Artie narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering what the tall dancer was up to. Sure, it was Artie who had asked him to ask out the girl he likes, but really… "Well played, Mr. Chang. Well played," he sighed as he snatched a pen from Mike and signed them both.

Mike took one, folded it, and put it in his pocket, "the other copy is yours, Abrams," he tried to sound as businesslike as he could. Then, another thought came to him, "Oh, do you want to come over after this is all over?"

Artie looked startled by this question, then shifted his eyes in slight embarrassment, "No, no, that's okay. I don't usually go to other people's houses anyway. Too much of a hassle with the chair and… everything."

Mike was quick to change the subject, "So, Artie, why did you ask me to do this again? I'm still really unsure about this whole thing."

Artie looked up at Mike carefully. He couldn't exactly tell the whole truth, he felt guilty enough as it is. Luckily, he had memorized a little speech to give in case more questions came up, "Well I'm sure you noticed she stopped stuttering, but she's still very shy and insecure. So, I figured if someone like you asked her out, she might get a bit of confidence." He finished with a curt nod and a small smile.

"Well I think that sounds like a load of BS, Abrams, but I can't really imagine what other reason you would have," Mike admitted, answered only by a dubious look from Artie. "You two are very confusing, Artie."

Artie was getting frustrated at everyone referring to Tina and him as some unit. Normally it would be endearing, but the fact that the entire glee club knew about their little date disaster made it seem like they all expected something.

Mike noticed that something was wrong from Artie's face. With a sigh, Mike kneeled to look Artie in the eye, "We all see the way she looks at you, Artie. I'm surprised she even said yes."

Artie tried not to get angry at this, but he settled to just sigh in exasperation. He was a little unsettled that she had so readily accepted, too. If he didn't constantly remind himself that this was his idea, he would be jealous already. Not that he had the right to be jealous anyway, he had very bluntly denied her when he had his chance. Carefully, he observed Mike, "She's going through a hard time right now," he explained before taking a pause, "so try to show her a good time, okay? There are a lot of things I can't do, so I need you to do it." Artie was slightly surprised at his honesty. He had convinced himself that he would keep Mike in the dark about his own insecurity. But Mike had him this time.

So that was it. Mike felt a smug smile tug at his face. "Well in that case, let's go get me ready, hmm?"

They went back into Mike's room, where he had laid out his usual nicer-looking outfit, which he considered suitable for any date. Apparently Artie disagreed. As soon as he got a look, he was already asking for substitutes. With Artie dictating, Mike ended up changing most parts of his outfit, even ditching his nice shoes for his converse. Artie had to remind him that this was Tina, not some Cheerio.

"There," Artie said, giving a satisfactory nod.

Mercedes and Kurt fussed over Tina as if she was an A-list actress getting ready for the Oscars. Tina hardly got a say in what she was to wear, horrified when Kurt decided to hide her usual wrist adornments, only allowing one silver bracelet. Mercedes was busy with hair and makeup, and Kurt went through Tina's closet like he was a green beret on a high-stakes mission.

As he found an acceptable dress for her, he looked around the room, "Tina, why don't we come over to your place more often?" he casually asked as he brought the dress over for Mercedes to approve.

"My parents, mostly. They are embarrassing, and I don't really want them to meet you guys, no offence," Tina replied with a bit of difficulty. Mercedes had a pretty firm grip on Tina's face which made speaking awkward. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Kurt appeared to regret asking, so she quickly added, "Plus, you guys have awesome houses, no need to come here."

Mercedes, who had completely ignored this exchange, finally backed off of Tina, "Alright, girl, I'm done. You'd better not mess it up when you get those threads on, or I _will_ cut you." She waved a mascara brush at Tina threateningly, causing bother her friends too chuckle a bit.

Luckily she was able to get the dress on without even touching her face, which Mercedes made sure of. Tina was thankful the dress was out of her own closet, at least. Kurt had chosen the black and silky blue one (the black and red one was too 'dirty mistress' according to him) to match her streaked hair. After several minutes of arguing, Kurt had finally allowed her to pick out a black sweater, since apparently she would freeze in the dress alone. Mercedes had managed to give a gentle curl to her hair, and had done a pretty good job matching the makeup to her dress, giving her a softer look than she usually had. Tina had to admit that she looked pretty good.

They were finally finished, and regarded Tina like she was some piece of art in a museum. She shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny until finally Kurt and Mercedes gave one another a high-five. They all smiled with the mission accomplished.

"Alright, girl, let's talk about the plan," Mercedes rubbed her hands together as if she was concocting a complex heist. "We don't want to mess up the Changster too much," she started, her voice low as if Mike was in the next room or something.

"But make sure enough happens so Artie is green with jealousy when you tell him," Kurt finished the sentence with a nod.

Tina sighed, "I don't like this…" she started quietly.

It was Kurt who cut her off, "Have fun, Tina. Who knows, it might be your last date with somebody who can use his legs," he said, winking at her. "Speaking of which, you must wear flats in case he takes you dancing." Kurt managed to procure an old pair of simple black flats for her to wear. "And now you are ready," he finished with a little clap.

Tina glanced over her shoulder at the clock, "He should be here in about ten minutes," she absentmindedly mused. Her mind was racing with what might come of this stupid fiasco. The fact that Mike had actually asked her out had her head reeling. What was the motive? She refused to even think that it was because he was actually interested in her. If he was, then this was about to be a huge disaster. She took solace in the fact that, despite being in glee club together, Mike was a football player, and attractive, to boot. He could get whoever he wanted, and it was pretty clear that he wanted Brittany, not her. Tina was determined to get to the bottom of this. Sure, she could let herself have some fun. Kurt had made a pretty significant point earlier about Artie, though she tried her hardest not to fuss over it for now. However, she knew that the minute she got home from this date thing, she would explore the possible truth behind Kurt's words.

"Tina? Tina!" Kurt roused her from her thoughts.

She shook her head briskly, blinking away the turbulence that was gathering there. "Huh, yeah?" she asked casually.

"Wake up, girl, I think he's here!" Mercedes began to shoo Tina to the door while Kurt ran to peek through a window to see if it was really Mike.

"Oh he looks fantastic!" Kurt excitedly informed the girls behind him.

Mike was hesitant as he approached the door, still having a weird feeling about this. Artie had better be really grateful for all this. Finally, he took a breath and knocked on the door. He was surprised when the door opened immediately. He was even more surprised to see what occupied the doorframe.


	25. Sweet Caroline

**Chapter 25 : Sweet Caroline**

"Uh… hi Kurt. Mercedes," Mike hesitantly greeted. Had he made a wrong turn or something? Mercedes and Kurt leaned on either side of the doorframe, watching him like possessed gargoyles. After an awkward silence, they looked at each other before stepping out onto the landing, closer to Mike. As they moved to pass him, Mercedes stopped.

"I think you know what I want to say to you, Twinkle Toes," she said in a low, threatening voice.

"Have her back by midnight or her parents might castrate you," Kurt added quietly.

Mike glanced from one to the other, feeling like he really was between a rock and a hard place. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Lucky for him, Mercedes and Kurt were quick to move on, heading towards Kurt's SUV parked nearby. Mike breathed a sigh of relief when they had gone, then finally looked back towards the house, where Tina looked absolutely horrified.

"I'm soooo sorry about that, Mike," she squeaked, trying not to bury her face in her hands. Mercedes would come back and kill her if she messed up her makeup so soon. But there she was, shrinking from embarrassment in the doorway.

He smiled, taking a good look at her. If he was perfectly honest, he would have to admit Kurt and Mercedes did some good work. "Don't worry about it, Tina. You look really nice, by the way," he offered her a hand as she looked up in surprise.

Tina gingerly took the offering, closing the door behind her. She tried to shake the instinctive shyness that had overwhelmed her as soon as the door had opened. Allowing herself to really look at Mike, she smiled slightly, "You don't look so bad, yourself." It was a little bit strange. She knew that he was a cool guy and all, but he looked as though she had dressed him herself. Shaking the feeling, she followed Mike to his car.

Awkward silence filled the small vehicle as they made the short drive to the restaurant that Mike had managed to find on such short notice. It was a little fondue place, fairly fancy by high school standards. And apparently fate would not smile on them this day. Their server came to seat them, and it was a tall, lanky man who instantly gave them a knowing smile as he approached.

"Ooh such a lovely couple! Come with me, let's put you in one of our more… private booths," he beckoned, leading them through the maze-like restaurant to a little three-walled booth. Mike and Tina looked at each other for a fleeting moment before sliding in on opposite sides. "Now when you are ready to order, just open the curtain, I will be with you as soon as I can, hmm?"

Curtain? Tina looked around, feeling a little panic. Then the creepy waiter was gone, and a hanging curtain was pulled to separate their table from the rest of the restaurant.  
"Ummm… okaaaay," Mike mused, eyeing the curtain suspiciously. He looked over at the terrified Tina and felt a little bit guilty. "I guess we look too good to get a normal table," he joked, getting a little smile out of his companion.

Another uncomfortable silence fell on them for a few moments. They distracted themselves with the menu for a while, idly chatting about mundane topics. And then they realized that they had to summon the waiter. "I really don't want to do this," Tina admitted, looking pleadingly at Mike. "That guy creeps me out." They shared a short laugh at this, and Mike nodded after a second of consideration.

"If you really want, pretend to be mute or something. I'll take care of him," he assured, tentatively pulling open the curtain. "I would just keep his open, but I have a feeling our waiter would pester us every five minutes," he muttered, looking out into the hallway.

She sighed, propping her head up with her hand, "You're probably right," she agreed. "And I don't think I would survive that."

Before they knew it, the lanky server was back and fawning over them, "Well if it isn't the handsome couple? So what can I get for you?" His flamboyance and enthusiasm was sickening, and it took Mike a lot of self control to order with a straight face. He finally managed to get everything right, and the waiter praised his choices as if they were winning lottery numbers. "Sounds fantastic, I'll get your first course out as soon as possible, and just open the curtain when you're ready for the next one!" he excitedly instructed, using a strange sing-song voice as if he was insinuating something.

To Tina's great relief, the waiter disappeared to fetch their food. She finally let out the breath she'd been holding, and looked over at Mike with gratitude in her eyes. He simply laughed lightly at her, shaking his head.

"You know, at first glance, the guy reminds me a little of Kurt," Mike mused, desperate for conversation.

Tina snorted, "You obviously don't know Kurt very well."

Mike simply shook his head. "Nah, I don't. Even when we did the mash-ups, he mostly just wished he could be on the girl's team."

"Well you can't blame him," Tina said with a shrug, "The guys team had four football players, Artie, and Kurt. At least the girl's team was balanced. Three Cheerios, Rachel, Mercedes, and Me. Plus, Cheerios might be bitches, but the jocks are just cruel. I mean really, dumpsters, pee balloons, and nailing furniture to the roof?"

Mike winced as she listed all the unjust things the football team did to the lower social classes. He thought for a minute, and nodded slightly, "I guess you're right. Though by now I hope we don't count as jocks to Kurt and Artie anymore, especially Finn."

Tina tilted her head slightly, "You didn't hear what Finn did to Kurt when he chose football over glee?"

Mike's brow furrowed, "No, I didn't hear about that," he was intrigued now. He thought he would hear about something like this. But then again, he didn't know Kurt at all.

"The team made Finn slushie Kurt," she started. Mike looked like he was going to interrupt, so Tina held up a finger, "but he hesitated. So Kurt did it himself. Taking one for the team, I guess."

Mike looked at her in astonishment for a while. Maybe he should get to know Kurt, "Wow…" he whispered.

"Oh another thing you might not know about Kurt- he messed up the Defying Gravity audition on purpose," she added, waving one of her unoccupied fondue forks at Mike.

His face returned to the confused state, "Really? Why?"

"Apparently his dad got a call the day before saying his son is a Fag. His dad knows he's gay, or course, but having someone else call like that, it was like a threat. And Kurt didn't want to put his dad in an uncomfortable situation. Plus, it's not hard for Kurt to forget everything the jocks have done to him. I'm sure taking a dumpster every morning would warrant quite the grudge."

An opportunity. Mike took it. "What about Artie? I think I know him better than Kurt, but I would argue that the jocks have done _worse_ things to him, yet he doesn't seem to hold any sort of grudge."

Tina took a hard look at Mike. It seemed like a loaded question, the way he had asked it. But the subject was a soft spot for her, so she relaxed, playing with the rim of her water glass. She seemed saved by the bell- or in this case- the creepy waiter.

The lanky server ceremoniously presented them with their melted cheese fondue with as much fanfare and awkward conversation as possible. Tina went silent again, giving the burden to Mike, who handled it quite well. She was impressed. Or maybe she just had a very low tolerance for awkward, creepy waiters. After another compliment to their couple-ness, he closed the curtain.

"Looks delicious," she diverted.

Mike smirked slightly, "Oh no you don't. You still need to answer the question."

Tina groaned quietly, suddenly interested in her water glass again. She refused to look up at Mike while she spoke so she didn't give anything away. With a deep breath, she began, "Artie… he doesn't really hold grudges for stuff like that. The jocks attack him because he's an easy target. It's not really personal. If it were personal, he might get more upset."

"Like the stutter thing?" Mike couldn't help it, he was curious. He could tell he hit a sour note though, because her eyes shot up to glare at him like poisonous arrows.

"Yes, like the stutter thing," she admitted through gritted teeth. But then she felt guilty, and looked down again, "What the jocks do to him… it kills me every time. Locking him in the port-o-potty, tying him to the flagpole, leaving him abandoned without his chair… it's the kind of thing that would drive a normal person insane. But Artie somehow manages to see past it all, to know that it was something that came with the chair, and there's no point getting into a big fit about it. And he knows that they do it for social status, so he doesn't hold it against them," the fondness in her voice started to shine through the more she spoke.

Mike was enjoying watching her face. She had one of those looks. The telltale signs of a lovesick puppy. He had to keep her going, "But didn't Artie booby-trap Karovski's locker to get back at him for stealing his chair and glasses?" He couldn't really say why he had such an interest in Tina and Artie's relationship. Maybe it was to prove that abnormal relationships can work, too. Yet for whatever reason, Mike was invested. Both literally and figuratively (his money was on the choir room).

A small smile stole Tina's face as she gently shook her head. "No…" she started quietly. "He didn't get back at Karovski for the flagpole thing. He did all that because Karovski tried to get _me_ hurt. For Artie, it is personal when you attack one of his friends," she concluded before gingerly eating a piece of cheese-dipped bread.

Mike smiled at her, "He's a pretty cool guy," he mused, looking to spear a piece of apple for the fondue.

She nodded once before a listless expression came to her face. She sighed heavily, "Yeah…" she simply agreed, looking off at nothing for a moment before noticing Mike's knowing smirk. Jumping slightly, she snapped out of it, changing the subject, "So what about Matt? The only interaction I've had with him is when he practically tackled me to get me away from Karovski's cronies. I've given you my Kurt and Artie notes, it's your turn."

Mike gave a nod, and they finally delved into interesting conversation. They swapped notes on all of the glee clubbers. The awkwardness was gone as they laughed freely at anecdotes and misconceptions. They managed to get through most of their meal without too much trouble from the waiter, though when he presented the dessert menu, he was very _very _suggestive about it.

So- in their newfound comfort with each other- Mike got the brilliant idea to mess with the guy. He slid to the far wall of the booth and beckoned to Tina, "Hey Tina, come over here. We're going to freak out the server."

She grinned and slid next to him, whispering, "What's the plan?" as if they were secret operatives on a mission.

"Just follow my lead," he whispered back before pulling the curtain open a little to summon the server. He looked her in the eye with a little smirk, "Oh and don't freak out."

She suddenly got a little nervous, having a very slight idea of what he was planning to do. Scooting closer until her legs were flush with hers, Tina anticipated the loud, obnoxious voice to return. It was Mike who spotted the lanky man approaching. He quickly took a hand and pulled Tina's legs across his knees so she was halfway on his lap and held her with one arm around her waist. She looked like she was going to exclaim _something_ in surprise, so Mike shut her up in the only way he knew how. As the waiter went to pull the curtain open completely, Mike leaned in and placed a kiss right on Tina's lips.

"Oh my! My apologies!" The waiter cried, flailing his arms a bit. He fretted and stumbled over his words for a moment before Mike broke away from Tina and very calmly asked for the check.

Once the curtain was closed again, he let Tina go, who looked like she had just seen a ghost. Then, she very quickly transitioned to looking like a boiled lobster. She opened her mouth to say something, then just let it close, looking at Mike. Seeing his goofy grin as he tried to hold back fits of laughter, she began to giggle slightly. "Wow… you sure got _him_," she said.

"Him? Looks like I scared you more than him!" Mike laughed, wiping his eyes. "But yes, we did get him pretty good," he conceded when Tina's gaze turned into a glare. "Okay, okay, let's get out of here," he put his hands up in surrender when the glare didn't fade. They got out of the booth to head to the front of the restaurant. On the way they passed their server, to whom Mike entrusted some cash to pay for dinner.

As they hopped back in the car, Tina glanced at the dashboard clock. It was still pretty early, so she looked over at him to ask, "So where to now?" He gave her a coy little smile as he put the car in gear.

"You'll find out when we get there."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but she still couldn't help but smile.

Her smile faded a little when they pulled into a little parking lot. "The park?" she asked, wondering if it really was their destination. The place already had enough emotional baggage.

"Yup. You can't go on a date with Mike Chang without going dancing," he pointed out like it was common knowledge. "The places I normally go are twenty-one plus tonight since it's Saturday. So I just brought some music and figured we could have a little privacy." He realized that sounded a little shady, so added, "No creepy waiters."

With a soft chuckle, she nodded. "If you say so." But when she stepped out of the car, the cold air hit her like a slap in the face. Before she could complain, Mike was handing her his jacket. "You're good," she said with a smile, slipping it on.

He laughed a bit while he fished the boom box out of the back of his car. "Can't let a lady freeze, now can I?"

_Of course, where's the lady? _Artie's voice rang in Tina's head when she heard that comment. She forced a smile while she tried to push the memory down. Not now.

Mike took Tina's hand to lead her to one of the open grassy areas in the park. Tina wasn't as familiar with this side of the park, usually walking there, not driving. Mike set up the boom box and started some upbeat music for them to dance to. Tina was enjoying it, they danced together for a few songs, and then she insisted she see some of Mike's famous moves. In payment, she agreed to do part of the Single Ladies dance. When she was too embarrassed to continue, they were both in fits of laughter, the cold completely forgotten.

"This is the last song," Mike said softly, his laughter fading into a soft smile. The melody started to play, and it was a slow number. With a smile Tina stepped closer, putting a hand on his shoulder just as he placed one on her waist. Their other hands joined as they began to slowly dance. It was then that Tina realized what Artie had been so scared of. He couldn't do this- any of this. She wasn't even sure if Artie could take her to that restaurant, the halls were so narrow.

With this in mind, she didn't resist when Mike pulled her closer to him. When the song slowly ended, Mike dipped Tina in a cheesy but classic romantic gesture. As they came up, Tina found her lips occupied by his yet again. And this time she kissed back.

There was something they hadn't noticed. Across the park, there sat an empty wheelchair.


	26. Smile

**A/N: **_Sorry for the slow updates. As all my friends come back into town for the holiday break, they keep me pretty busy.  
I encountered a bit of writer's block the past two days. So, I went to see some movies to see if I could get any creative inspiration. So I saw three VERY different movies. And yet, I, who is a pretty harsh critic when it comes to movies, thought they were all really good. Avatar (just downright awesome- kudos to the graphics team), Princess and the Frog (a bit hokey, but I'm proud of Disney for making a movie independent of Pixar that didn't completely suck), and The Blind Side (I thought it was going to be hokey, but it really was a great movie). I recommend all of them if you haven't seen them.  
So my QotU (which I mostly gave up since I got no answers): Any other recent movies that you found worth watching?  
Unfortunately, I'm writing this about halfway through the chapter and am still at a block. So now I'm reverting to my most classic method of getting over things. Cookie dough. Let's see how that affects my writing.  
Didn't work. Sorry guys, looks like I have to sleep on this one._

**Chapter 26 : Smile**

He had gone to the park to clear his head. He even brought blankets to lie down on to cut the cold a bit, but he just wanted to lie down and watch the sky for a while. Trying his best not to think about where his best friend was that evening, he pondered other things. School, BabyGate, glee club. They all were fine distractions for a while. But they all seemed to lead back to one thing. Tina.

_Come on, Artie, don't be such a girl. Only girls think about their stupid crushes this much. Think of manly things. Explosions and power tools, man! _Despite how convincing his testosterone might have sounded, Artie still couldn't help it. Plus, it wasn't just a stupid crush, was it? Artie wasn't quite sure, as usual. He wished he could put words to the feelings.

Instead, he let other people do it for him. Taking out his mp3 player, Artie attempted to sort out his thoughts and feelings by listening to some music. It was a good way for him to focus on one sentiment at a time. But of course, fate wanted him to suffer. As Artie put his entire music library on shuffle, the first song was No Air. It wasn't really his style in music, but everyone in glee had downloaded it after Ms. Sylvester stopped Finn and Rachel from singing the whole thing.

He was about to skip it, but when the lyrics started, he hesitated. _Losing you is like living in a world with no air._ Retracting his hand, he let himself listen to the rest of the song. The lyrics hit him pretty hard. The metaphor was hauntingly accurate. The suffocating feeling he felt whenever he imagined life without her really was like imagining a world with no air. That's what this whole friends versus more-than-friends debate was all about, right? He would rather live in a world with Tina as his friend forever, as opposed to dating her for a while and losing her for good. But what about- wait, he had to hit the back button so he could hear the song again to keep his train of thought- what about what Tina felt? The second time listening to the song, he tried to see it through her eyes. He knew he had hurt her by refusing her on multiple occasions, but he hoped she could see why.

Artie admired her courage. To try again, that is. He had a feeling that Tina could read his intentions better than he gave her credit for. Even so, he had a hard time accepting that she could just look over all the disadvantages and complications of being involved with a paraplegic. It was just too much. He could appreciate the sentiment, but he wasn't going to let her do that to herself. At least without knowing exactly what she was passing up.

That's what this whole date scheme was about. Every time Artie rationalized it, he had the faintest sense that he was making a horrible mistake. Maybe he would figure it out when she would inevitably call him that night. Even if it was a date, he can't imagine that she wouldn't call him to tell him about it. He wasn't sure if he should look forward to or dread that call.

Before the song could change, he turned off the music. He had enough introspective thinking for one night. Okay, that was a lie. He just didn't want to be hit with any more hard metaphors for a while. This one was enough to handle for now.

After about ten minutes, Artie's thoughts were interrupted by some distant sounds. Sounded like music. Odd; usually the park was pretty much dead by this time of night. He propped himself up on his elbows, trying to get a look at the source of the intrusion. In the dim lighting of the old park lights, he managed to distinguish two people. A couple, he assumed. They were dancing to the music from a boom box. Artie smiled. What a cute idea.

Too bad he can't dance. Sighing to himself, he was about to let himself fall back to the ground when something caught his attention. The girl. The guy spun her around, and Artie could have sworn he saw a flash of blue in the low light as her hair turned. Artie sat up straighter, propped up on his hands now.

_Wow Mike. Smooth moves. _Artie admitted, with a hint of reluctance. Even though this was _his _idea, he found the scene difficult to watch, and yet he couldn't take his eyes off of Tina. The way she moved with Mike to the music. And that dress she was wearing- Artie wasn't sure if he had ever seen her in something so elegant before. Simply put, it was enchanting. At some point he vaguely noticed that the music had changed to something more gentle, and he watched Tina step closer to Mike as they continued to dance together. Artie felt his mouth fall slightly open as he watched the pair dance hand-in-hand. He tried to look away, but he just couldn't do it.

And then he saw it. Mike dipped Tina, and they kissed on their way up. It was undeniable, especially when her arms went around his neck, and his around her waist. Artie quickly shut his mouth, realizing that it had become painfully dry. He held his breath as he watched. When they finally parted, Artie let out his breath, dropping his torso back onto the blanket he had laid out over the grass.

_You set this up, Artie. You asked him to do this, _he reminded himself. However, it didn't really help the burning pain he felt in his chest. And all at once he seemed to remember the cold. He turned his torso so he could reach his chair, which had two more blankets folded on it. After taking one, he threw it over himself, making sure to cover his face. Forcing himself to breathe evenly, Artie tried to fight off the familiar stinging sensation that was coming to his eyes. Not allowed to cry over this. And yet, a wave of emotion overcame his resolve and he lost himself to doubt.

He might have asked Mike to do this, but he didn't ask Tina to accept. And he sure didn't ask her to get so enthusiastic about kissing him back. "Oh god, what have I done?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. He distantly heard a car starting and driving away, giving him hope that they were gone. Flipping the blanket down a bit, he exposed his face to the cold once again, if only for the sake of gazing up at the sky.

Mike's head was pounding as he drove Tina home. This was bad. He could feel her watching. That kiss… he didn't mean for it to be so intense. As soon as he had felt her reciprocating, he had a sinking feeling that this master plan of Artie's was a horrible idea. Well, he never really thought it was a good idea, but he didn't think it would be _that_ bad. He honestly expected to get a sharp slap in the face, not a really… good kiss. He had to tell her the truth.

The silence was oppressing, so it took a lot of effort for Mike to speak, "Tina…"

"I need to tell you something," Tina interrupted quickly.

Mike was taken aback for a moment, grateful that he could pull over since he had arrived at her place. As soon as he put his car in park, he looked over, "Okay then, ladies first."

Tina looked down at her hands, visibly nervous. With a deep breath, she began, "Mike… I'm sorry, but… I had a really great time tonight, so thank you. But," she paused again to breathe, shakily allowing herself to continue, "the reason I said yes to your invitation…" It was too hard, she couldn't say it out loud. Gently shaking her head, she tried to force away the hurt and disappointment she felt just thinking about it.

"It's okay, I know," Mike said softly, resting a hand on her arm. "And if it makes you feel batter, I had a very specific reason for asking you out, too." He felt her eyes on him, and it was his turn to hesitate. She had accepted him with Artie in mind. Was it really necessary to potentially damage their chances by revealing their little scheme? Sighing, he decided to come up with a better excuse. Scrolling through the list of excuses he had heard, he finally landed on Puck. "My parents wanted me to date a nice asian girl for once," he quickly explained. He breathed again, hoping it would work. "Maybe when I tell them that I took one out, then dumped me after the first date, they'll leave me alone," he finished with a small smile.

She blushed a bit, happy that the only light was the small car system. She smiled a little back at him. She wasn't exactly sure how to feel about that development, but the one emotion that dominated her at that moment was relief. With a slight nod, she looked over at Mike. "I really did have a good time. We should hang out more," she decided with a smile.

He chuckled to himself and nodded, "Yeah you could say we got a little bit closer. Friends?" When he was answered with a nod, he stepped out of the car, walked around and opened the door for her. Pulling her into a hug, they said their goodbyes.

"Thanks for the great night, Mike," she said into his shoulder before pulling away. With a smile and a little wave, she walked up the short walkway to her house. She slipped inside, hearing Mike drive away in his car. Once the door closed with a click behind her, she slid to the ground in a heap. She buried her face in her hands, no caring at all about her makeup anymore. As if on instinct, she reached for her small handbag to retrieve her phone. Before she could even think, it was ringing.

Artie was about to get up and go home (he was getting tired of reassuring his mom that he was okay, she had called about four times in the past several minutes) when his phone rang yet again. He was about to just flip it open and tell his mom off when he caught sight of the screen. Tina. He contemplated ignoring the call altogether, but he just couldn't bring himself to hit the End button. With a deep breath he answered.

"Hey Tina," he greeted, trying to cover any hint of pain in his voice.

"… _Artie?_"

He let out a single dry laugh, "You sound surprised, Tee. You're the one who called me, not the other way around."

She chuckled a little, "_Wow I guess I did. You home?"_

Considering lying, Artie paused. He decided against it. There was enough deception in this whole situation already. "Nah, I'm out," he was intentionally vague. Maybe she wouldn't care where he was, more interested in gushing about her new man.

"_I believe last time I stayed out this late, you threatened to sick your mother on me,_" she said, humor lacing her words.

He couldn't help but laugh at this, "Yeah, I did."

"_So how are you still outside without her hunting you down?_"

"She calls every few minutes," he started. But his phone made a weird beeping noise that signaled call waiting. "In fact, I think she's calling right now. Hold on a sec, Tee." He pressed the OK button to switch lines. "Hello?"

"_Hey man, it's Mike."_

"Mike?" Artie asked, surprised to get a call from him so soon.

"_Yeah, hey, you'd better not mess up this time."_

"What are you talking about?" Artie was wondering what sort of weird joke this was.

"_She dumped me, dude. Because of you. So don't throw away that contract I made you sign," _and with that the line clicked as Mike hung up.

Artie stared blankly at his phone for a moment, seeing the flashing indicator of having Tina on hold. Well that was unexpected. Hesitantly, he brought Tina back on the line.

"_Your mom hunting you down?_ " she was laughing at him again, bringing a small smile to his face.

"Nah, I'm going to stay out here for a while," he hesitated, contemplating giving away his location. "I'm over at the park."

"_The park? I was just there! Aren't you freezing?"_

"I brought blankets," he said with a shrug, even if she couldn't see it.

There was silence for a few moments. "_Care for some company?"_

Without thinking, he was quick to respond, "Of course, as long as it's you."

"_Oh darn, I was going to send Patches," _she said with a gentle laugh.

"Very funny. I'll see you when you get here."


	27. Don’t Stop Believin’

**A/N: **_Thanks again for all your lovely comments. As a reward, have a little fluff. And a lot of plot development.  
I watched the movie Up. It was sufficiently adorable._

**Chapter 27 : Don't Stop Believin'**

She found him in the usual spot, only with the addition of being sandwiched between two blankets. She chuckled at the sight. "Well don't you look cozy," she teased, leaning over his head, her hands on her hips.

Artie, who hadn't been paying very much attention to his surroundings, was startled by the sudden voice. He looked up quickly and got an unexpected view. "And you look like you forgot you're wearing a dress," he retorted, doing his best to look at her face rather than what was directly above him.

Slightly horrified, Tina made a little squeaking noise and jumped backwards (thanking Kurt in her mind for what seemed like the thousandth time for making her wear flats), her hands instantly going to tug on the hem of her dress. "ARTIE!" she squealed, "You were looking up my dress?" Even in the dim artificial lighting scattered around the park, he could see her blushing furiously.

Laughing heartily, Artie had to reach up to wipe tears from his eyes. "Your fault, Tee," he managed to get out between laughter. He tried to control his breathing, toning down his laughing to softer chuckles. Her face was still bright red in embarrassment, so he tried to speak again, "Sorry… sorry, I didn't mean to, you were just right there," he made a motion to summon her to his side. "Come on, Tee, with all the blood rushing to your face, the rest of you must be freezing!" Okay so he wasn't quite done teasing her.

She punished him with a soft kick to his ribs, to which he gave an over exaggerated objection. "Artie Abrams, don't make me beat you," she threatened, though a smile returned to her face. Finally she returned, careful to stay by his side rather than risk passing by his head again. She decided to sit down, careful with her dress, next to Artie on the edge of the blanket.

Pointing to his chair, Artie encouraged her to lay down the last blanket. "Don't want your butt to freeze now," he dared to tease her again, only to be answered by another jab in the ribs, "Alright, alright! I'll stop," he conceded with a chuckle. "But seriously, Tee, you look really nice," he admitted quietly.

Tina smiled at him as she settled on the new blanket. "Well thank you, but you're still an ass," she joked, but refrained from hitting him again. She paused for a moment, her smile fading. "Mike Chang took me out on a date tonight."

Doing his best to feign surprise, Artie gave her an incredulous look. "Really? And how did that go?" already knowing the answer.

"Actually, it was really fun," she started, watching his face. "We went to some fancy-pants restaurant, then he brought me here to dance."

Artie bit his tongue, reminding himself not to ask suspicious questions while also trying not to look jealous. "You going to see him again?" he probed, trying to get more details from her.

She paused, looking Artie right in the face for a silent moment. "No," she said quietly. When it remained quiet for another moment, she took a breath to elaborate, "He was very sweet and everything, but uh…" she had a decision to make. She continued to gaze into his face, which was watching her with a patient curiosity. "He only asked me out because his parents wanted him to date another asian," she blurted out. _Coward,_ she thought to herself.

Well that was a new one. He chuckled slightly. Partially at the excuse that Mike made up, and partially at her for thinking he would let her go at that. "And if he didn't have that excuse? Would you see him then?" he had a slight smile on his face as he looked back up at her, sitting beside him.

She rolled her eyes. He wasn't going to give up, it seemed. Still feeling a bit nervous, she searched for a way to stall. As she was thinking, a shiver ran through her body from the cold. She was suddenly aware how little she was wearing.

The shiver did not go unnoticed. Artie reached over to gently take her wrist. "Come on, Tee, you're going to freeze," he used his other hand to pull back the blanket that covered the lower half of his body. Seeing doubt in her face, he chuckled, "I promise I won't come on to you," he teased.

Tina looked at him dubiously, but had to admit to herself that she was getting pretty cold. She grumbled, "Well I'm not promising anything," as she scooted closer to him, sliding under the blanket next to him. When she pulled the blanket over the both of them, she finally let herself lay down. When her bare legs came into contact with his, she was about to flinch before remembering that he couldn't feel them. But instead, she hooked her ankle around his, rewarded with warmth.

Unaware of the mischief going on under the blanket, he watched her expectantly, "Well? You still have a question to answer, Miss Tee."

She sighed, turning her head to look at him. "I was hoping you'd forget." She paused, looking up at the sky, away from Artie. "Actually, It was me who called it off with Mike," she admitted. She didn't waste too much time, since Artie would just ask why if she didn't finish quick enough. Refusing to look him in the eyes, she continued, "The only reason I accepted his offer in the first place… was because I hoped it might make _you _jealous."

It was quiet for a while as Artie studied her face while she still couldn't look at him. Again, he admired her courage. For a moment he thought back to when they first met. She was so shy, hesitant, and unsure of herself. With his help, and the help of glee, she had come a long way. He had been there every step of the way. And she had been there for him. After another moment of thought, he dropped his hand and nudged hers.

The contact brought Tina out of her trance-like state. She finally looked over at Artie, who had a soft smile on his face. She smiled a little, too, letting her hand fit in his. She could feel the warmth, even through his usual gloves. And for him, that meant feeling the ice cold of her fingertips on the back of his hands. His brow furrowed, "Tina, you're freezing. And I'm sure your legs are even worse," he started, his voice full of genuine concern.

But he stopped when he saw the small coy smile on her face. "My legs are fine. Yours are warm," she said mysteriously, looking back up at the sky, away from his eyes. Artie was thoroughly confused, then looked down at where their legs would be under the blanket. He looked over at Tina again, who looked like she was holding back laughter. Quickly, he flipped up the edge of the blanket to peer down at their entwined legs. He shook his head with a smile. "I feel mildly violated," he said with a tint of a chuckle in his voice. He turned his head to find Tina watching him with a smirk. Separating their hands, he extended his arm out to invite her closer.

She scooted closer, flush against his side with her head on his shoulder. "I told you I wouldn't promise anything," she reminded with a grin. His arm around her, he pulled her even tighter against his side. She gave a little contented sigh, glad to be simultaneous relieved from the cold and also glad to be back where she felt safest- in the caring arms of Artie.

Artie leaned his head to whisper, "Thank you," into her hair.  
She looked up, curiosity shining in her eyes, "What for?"  
He looked at her with an intense sincerity, one that he usually didn't through his usual reserve filters. "I never would have dreamed a girl would dump super star Mike Chang for broken down Artie Abrams."

Tina was speechless for a few moments, just looking up at Artie. She finally regained her composure to speak, though her voice was quiet, "Artie Abrams, if you say 'I can't do this' I _will_ gouge out your eyeballs."

His brow furrowed, wondering what she was talking about. His question was soon answered as Tina scooted up, her lips meeting his. This time, Artie wasted no time arguing with himself. He used the arm that was already around her to gently pull her halfway on top of him as he reciprocated the kiss without hesitation.

She was mostly grateful (a tiny little bit disappointed) that Artie couldn't feel below the waist at that moment as her foot was pulled up along the inside of his thigh, but she wasn't about to stop and complain about it. One of her arms went around his neck while her other hand rested on his chest.  
A stroke of reason hit Artie. For a moment he pulled away, looking up at Tina above him. They were both breathing heavily, and he saw disappointment creep into her eyes. It looked like he was about to speak, but instead he gave a small smile, slipped off his glasses, and raised his head to meet her lips again. With his free hand that wasn't holding her against him, he stroked her gently curled hair.

Tina couldn't think anymore. Here she was, practically laying on Artie while he held her there; kissing her like she had always hoped he would. In that moment, she felt so secure, safe, and wanted. Like everything was going to be okay. And when they finally parted for lack of oxygen, she couldn't help but smile- really smile, for the first time in a long time.

Artie looked up at her, that smile was the most beautiful he'd ever seen. He smiled back up at her, pushing a strand of rogue blue hair behind her ear. He sighed, and his eyes flickered for an instant. But Tina didn't miss it, and her smile faded. She let her head drop, her face buried in his neck. "Don't say it," she whispered.

"I won't," he whispered back, continuing to stroke her hair, hugging her close. "But, Tee, look at me," he urged, giving her a little nudge with his shoulder. When she finally surrendered her face from his neck back to the cool night air, her eyes held a heavy sadness. "Tee… Tina, trust me, this is as hard for me to say as it is for you to hear," he sighed when she couldn't look at him, "but look me in the eyes and tell me that this… this has nothing to do with what's going on at home." He knew he was being vague, but he had a feeling that she knew what he was saying.

And she did. She looked him in the eye, and tried her best, but she couldn't do it. She looked away, feeling defeated. "I'm sorry-"

Artie shushed her before she could continue, "Tee, it's okay. Don't apologize." He took his hand out of her hair and used it to gently guide her face back to look at him. "It's okay… okay?" he insisted.

She reluctantly nodded. "But…"

"I'm not going anywhere, Tee. But… let's see how you feel when things get better," he searched her face, hoping to see the sadness fade away.

It didn't. But she nodded, and returned her face to his neck where it was warm. She didn't really know how to feel. On the surface, she struck out again, getting rejected again. And yet they had shared another kiss, and he seemed to know that he wanted her. So the one emotion that dominated wasn't anger or disappointment, but hope.

He gave her a gentle squeeze and a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Talk to me, Tee. It'll be better if you tell me what's going on," he encouraged.

There was a moment where he thought she was just ignoring him. But she sighed into his neck, not bothering to lift her head to speak, her voice muffled, "I spend as little time as I can at home. So I guess I don't really know. But whenever I am there, they're just fighting. They still haven't had the guts or the chance to tell me they're considering divorce." She stopped for a while, not sure if she had the heart to continue. Deciding that Artie's resolve was stronger than hers right now, she went ahead, "And I don't think they'll ever tell me to my face about… me…"

"Don't think about that, Tee," he interrupted, not wanting her to relive that pain. "You're my best friend, Tina. Whether or not your parents planned to have you or not, you're the best thing that ever happened to me," he admitted, whispering into her hair. "And you have a lot of people who care about you, so don't ever take what your parents said to heart."

She nodded into his neck slowly, then finally lifted her face to look up at him, the slightest bit of a smile breaking through. "Best thing to ever happen to you, eh?"

He chuckled very lightly, "Sounds pretty hokey, huh?"

"No kidding," she responded, her smile slowly growing. "Well, if I can tell you a little secret," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "you're _probably_ the best thing to ever happen to me, too."

"Probably?" he asked in mock offense. "If not me, then who is?" he asked with a little smile.

She looked up at the sky gain, and gave an obnoxious sigh, "Mike Chang," she said with a listless voice, "he so dreamy…"

"Oh that's it, you" he said, rolling her over so that it was his torso hovering over hers. He was propped up on his elbows, "Take that back!" She giggled and gave his chest a gentle punch.

"Artieeee, you almost made me crush your glasses," she continued to laugh gently, looking up at him. She reached over and grabbed them, and slowly returned them to his face. She missed her mark a bit, and the frames rested crooked on the bridge of his nose.

He wiggled his nose, failing to fix the problem. "Wow, real smooth, Tee."

She giggled again, folding her hands on her stomach, "They look just fine to me," she mused casually.

He pouted ever so slightly, thinking, "You still need to take it back," he whined.

"Fine, I take it back," she sighed with sarcastic reluctance.

"Say it," he cajoled.

She smiled slightly, "Fine. Artie Abrams, you _are_ my best friend and… the best thing to ever happen to me." She spoke as if it pained her at first, but ended in a sweet sincerity.

Artie looked down at her and smiled. "Well now that's more like it," he said softly. He looked down at her for a moment, then, out of some strange instinctive urge, he leaned down and placed a single kiss on her lips. She looked up at him in surprise, which he only returned with a sly smile.

He finally rolled back over, lying back on his back with a sigh. He looked over at her to find her staring at him still. "Alright, you, I think it's time to get home."


	28. Rehab

**A/N: **_I think I know what I need.  
QotU (important): recommend your favorite romantic comedies!  
I hope everyone had a great holiday, and I want to say hi and welcome to all the new readers that have reviewed!  
Hopefully writer's block will go the **** away so I can get on with it. Sorry this chapter is so short and so bad. Next one is better I promise._

**Chapter 28 : Rehab**

It was no surprise to either of them that Tina and Artie woke up the next day with raging colds. That's what you get for rolling around on the frozen ground at night. Blankets or no blankets.

"Your voice sounds funny," she laughed over the phone, ending with an ever-so-graceful sniff.

"_You don't exactly sound like an Angel, either, Tee,"_ he retorted with a slight chuckle. "_I think my mom is going to murder me if I keep talking, though. She says I'll lose my voice or something. I'll talk to you later, okay?"_

"Think you'll be at school tomorrow?" she asked quickly, trying to resist hacking her lungs out.

"_No idea. What about you?"_

"I doubt it. My parents would send me to school even if I was bleeding out my eyes," she said with a melodramatic sigh. "Well, feel better, Artie."

"_You, too, Tee." _

Tina huffed as she let her arm drop to her side, phone still in hand. She felt pretty miserable at that moment. Stuffy nose, relatively high fever, and a headache that would bring down an elephant. If it hadn't been Artie on the phone, she might have just ignored the ringing nuisance. Yet to her annoyance, the phone rang yet again. She feebly raised the phone, in case it was Artie again. Nope. Mercedes. With a sigh, she debated with herself on whether or not she should answer it. The last argument she came up with was that, if she didn't answer it, Mercedes would probably just show up anyway.

"Hello?" she greeted weakly, slightly defeated.

"_Hey, Girl! Kurt and I are coming over so you can fill us in on your little date adventure," _Mercedes informed her, rather than asking.

"…sick," Tina coughed out, trying to exaggerate the hacking noise to make a point.

"_Then we'll bring soup. See you in a few," _And with that, the conversation was over.

Tina groaned, swinging her feet over the bed to touch the floor. She would at least put on a clean shirt in an attempt to be presentable for her uninvited guests. It was more effort than she had planned to exert that day, but there wasn't much she could really do about it.

She wasn't ready when she heard her mother's shrill voice indicating the arrival of Kurt and Mercedes. Then again, even if she had all day, she wouldn't be ready. So she decided to just hop back in bed and make them come to her. A few moments later, the door creaked open as Mercedes and Kurt hesitantly entered the room. Tina eyes them with a sort of exhausted indifference.

"You look absolutely dreadful," Kurt pointed out.

"Thanks," Tina replied, voice stuffy and flat. "Where's my soup?"

"I lied. Dish, girl," Mercedes insisted as she moved to sit at the edge of Tina's bed, gently pushing Tina's feet out of her way.

Tina sighed and rolled her eyes. "The date? It was fine. We went to a nice restaurant and then we went dancing at the park," she informed them quickly, bereft of detail. She knew this wouldn't work, but she felt inclined to try. Maybe one day they would take a hint.

Kurt just gave her a skeptical look, "And? How was the conversation? Was he a gentleman?"

"Did ya kiss 'im?" Mercedes interrupted with an intensely frightening eagerness.

Tina sighed, defeated once again. She knew her friends were too stubborn; she didn't have the energy to fight them. "The conversation was okay. Really awkward at first, but once we started talking about glee and the people we both know, it was pretty good, actually. And yes, he was a gentleman. And again yes, he kissed me. Twice," she breathed for a moment, trying to ignore the itchy pain in her throat. "And I don't want to hear about it if you bet on it," she added as she noticed Kurt's hand move to his back pocket, presumably to his wallet.

They both froze and looked at each other for a moment like two kids caught heisting a cookie jar. Kurt cleared his throat, breaking the silence, "Well, what does this mean? You're not over Artie and dating Mike." He said this as a statement rather than a question, as if he would refuse it to be true anyway.

She shook her head, "No, I told Mike that I kinda used him to get back at Artie," she said, a bit of guilt lingering in her raspy voice. "But luckily, he was using me, too. Apparently his parents wanted him to date an asian."

"Crazy asians," Mercedes muttered, "So. Did you tell Artie?"

It was Tina's turn to be awkwardly silent for a minute. Of one thing she was sure- she wasn't going to tell Kurt and Mercedes every detail from the previous evening. But they would know she was lying if she said no flat-out. Mercedes already was developing a knowing smirk, which could only mean bad news for Tina if she remained silent much longer. "Well, yeah. I did tell him about it," she said quickly.

"And what did he say?" Mercedes pressed, "Was he crazy jealous?"

Tina thought for a moment, "No, not crazy jealous. Maybe a little bit. He didn't say, obviously. But he did seem happy to hear that I- or anyone, for that matter- dumped someone with him in mind."

"You told him that you dumped Mike for him?" Kurt said, slightly horrified. "So much for making him jealous!"

Tina laughed a couple times before the chuckles turned into painful coughs. She took a breath to soothe them as best as she could before continuing, "I let him be jealous for a few minutes, but I had to tell him the truth."

Mercedes looked back to Kurt for a moment with a little grin on her face, "Did you two-"

"No." Tina curtly interrupted, letting a little bitterness slip. "We're not together, if that's what you're looking to ask," she explained quickly. "But we are best friends again, and things are starting to get back to normal."

"You don't want things to be 'normal'," Kurt reminded.

Tina nodded slowly, "But it's a start, at least."

Mercedes gave an exasperated sigh, "You two are driving us all crazy, you know that?"

"Us _all_? Who exactly is 'us all'?" Tina eyed Mercedes suspiciously. This couldn't be good.

Kurt jumped in to save the day for Mercedes, "Mercedes, me, and… Quinn! Yes, after seeing you at the park, she is very interested in your involvement with Artie," he finished quickly.

The suspicion didn't leave Tina's eyes, but she dropped the subject. "You guys have to be patient. Artie's forgiven me, but he still hasn't had the guts to talk about what happened on that stupid date. At least he's showing interest in me again."

"Wait a minute, Girl. You need to tell us the details. What do you mean, 'showing interest'?"

Tina mentally slapped herself. Good job, way to practically bait your interrogators. She couldn't exactly say, '_Oh yeah we totally made out on the grass last night. And it wasn't the first time. Plus, he totally said I was the best thing that ever happened to him.'_ She thought quickly, "Nothing specific. He's just not avoiding me, is all. But right now we're just best friends again."

Kurt and Mercedes shared one of those 'she's-totally-not-telling-us-something' looks that made Tina's skin crawl. "Okay, Tina. We'll let it go for now. We'll just watch and see what happens at school tomorrow. We know you mom won't let you call in sick," Mercedes' voice was almost a threat.

Before Tina could think, she blurted, "But Artie's sick, too. His mom probably won't let him go to school tomorrow!"

"What a lovely coincidence," Kurt piped up, a little too happy about Artie's apparent illness.

Mercedes laughed, "You two didn't just talk on the phone, I take it."

This time Tina did slap her forehead with her palm. _Stupid, Tina._ "We met at the park. It was cold, we got sick," she very pointedly ended the story, clear that there would be no elaboration.

Mercedes continued to chuckle, "Yeah, okay, Tina. Well when you are both back from having the plague, we'll see what happens."

And with that, Mercedes got up off of Tina's bed, followed closely by Kurt. "Feel better, Tina," he said quietly, patting her arm gingerly. She mumbled her gratitude; relieved to see them head out the door. When they had gone, she let her torso fall back onto her bed, her head squishing her pillow with a glorified thump. She stared at her ceiling, her head pounding from the cold that was running rampant throughout her body. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, begging for sleep. Finally after what seemed like hours, sleep finally obliged her. Her last thought was, _School is going to suck tomorrow._


	29. Bust Your Windows

**A/N: **_I hope this chapter is better. I've been waiting to write this one for a long time. Sorry the last chapter was kinda filler/setup for this chapter. Pray that it's worth it. This chapter turned out to be a monster. Yikes. Maybe I should split it. Nah, last chapter was so depressingly short. It seems my writer's block went away and it exploded all over this chapter.  
And lulz Artemis Rayne, your comment made my day._

**Chapter 29 : Bust Your Windows**

As expected, Tina's mother was sure to poke and prod her daughter until she was decently dressed, presentable, and out the door for school. Tina didn't have the strength or the breath to object, so when she was practically pushed out of the door, she begrudgingly started the walk to school.

To her own surprise, she made it to school just in time to hit her locker and slide into her first class. The day went by painfully slow, and Tina could tell that she was learning nothing. She just sat and existed in class, unable to hear anything above the pounding of her head; too tired to read the words on the board. Even lunch went by as just a fuzzy event, since she couldn't stomach much anyway. It was just loud. She only had energy enough to notice that Artie was absent. By the time classes were over and it was time for glee, Tina felt like she was an ambiguous blob, slowly sliding her way to the music room. She collapsed into the chair nearest to the door for the sake of getting off her feet as quickly as possible.

The other glee clubbers were throwing her looks of concern and worry. Tina was pretty sure some of them said things to her, though she didn't have the strength or the will to respond. Finally, Mr. Shue arrived and was about to start when he saw Tina, who looked like she would fall out of her chair at any moment. Shaking his head, he kneeled in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Tina, it doesn't take a doctor to tell you that you're too sick to be here. Go home," he urged gently. She gave a simple nod, and trudged out the door to head back to her house.

On her walk back home, the fresh air did her some good. The air was crisp and cool, though the clouds threatened her with rain, blocking most of the sun's rays. Maybe if they waited for the sun to go down, they would be rewarded with snow rather than miserable rain. Tina pondered this possibility, recalling that she quite liked the snow. But with her luck, it would be rain.

As she fiddled with the lock to the house, she suddenly got a sinking feeling in her gut. And it wasn't nausea. Something was wrong. She quietly turned the lock, pushing the door open slowly. She was met with the sound of muffled voices. Raised voices. Closing the door as quietly as possible, Tina set down her bag and tried to follow the sound of the voices. As she approached the kitchen, the voices became clearer.

Fighting. Arguing. Tina's heart clenched in her chest as she began to make out the words. Divorce, Tina, leaving, custody, money. Tina swallowed the panic that was rising in her throat as she continued to listen. She wanted to run- run away from here, but some evil force kept her feet rooted to the spot just out of sight. The sound of thunder broke through the voices, summoning a deafening silence that filled the entire house. Until Tina coughed.

And then she was running. Running from her mother, who was desperately calling after her, chasing her through the house and eventually to the door. But Tina slammed the front door behind her with a strength she didn't know she had, causing the wall to tremor in protest. She paused when she stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was raining. Of course it was. It was just above freezing, and the raindrops hit her like tiny needles. For an instant she considered going back inside her house to escape, but she had enough resolve to turn away. Without thinking, she began to run.

----

"Artie!"

Artie's reading was disturbed by the sound of his mother's voice calling from what he guessed to be the kitchen or family room. He sighed, sliding his bookmark into place before folding the book closed in his lap.

"Arthur Abrams!"

That couldn't be good. Artie felt some panic, trying to remember what he could have possibly done wrong to warrant his full name. He coughed a couple times, trying to clear his throat before calling back with some difficulty, "I'm in bed, mom," which carried more implications for him than the average person. He was still in bed, so he wasn't exactly mobile.

"I think you'll want to get _out_ of bed right now!"

With an exasperated sigh, he began the arduous task of leaving his bed and returning to the chair that waited for him nearby. _This had better be good_, he thought to himself. He wore a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, which he didn't like wearing in his chair. But he wasn't about to go and change, so he risked the sweatpants in the chair as he headed towards his mother's voice.

And then he saw her. There, in a heap by his front door, was a soaking wet and very obviously ill Tina, his mother crouched by her side. She was mostly covered in towels, presumably from his mother, but he could still see her shaking.

"Oh my god, Tina," he managed to breathe, taking himself out of the trance-like state he had been in. Wheeling to her side, he looked to his mother for answers.

She merely shook her head and gave a weak shrug, then whispered, "I'm going to make up a place for her to stay."

As his mother left the room, Artie hesitantly placed a hand on Tina's shoulder. After a moment of stillness, she finally looked up at him. She was wet from the rain, and shivering from the cold, but it wasn't enough to hide from Artie the fact that she had been crying. He moved his hand to move some of the hair out of her face, and felt her forehead burning. "You shouldn't have gone to school today," he mused quietly, "it just made you worse."

She gave a tiny appreciative smile. It was so like Artie not to ask what happened right away. He was curious, to be sure, but he would wait until she was up for talking about it. "How are you feeling?" she managed to squeak, her throat still swollen from sickness and aggravated by sobbing.

"Crappy, but absolutely heavenly compared to you," he responded with a slight smile. And he was rewarded with a small smile in return. "Come on, you should lay down," he insisted, offering her a hand. She took it carefully, standing up on shaky legs before following him down the hallway to his room.

They were both surprised to find Artie's mom in his room making up a little bed next to his. She looked up when they entered, and she gave a warm smile to the pair, "I figured you might as well be sick together rather than spreading it around the entire house."

Artie tried not to laugh, just shaking his head. His mom was always bad at lying. But he let it go, considering he would have fought to have Tina in his room anyway. As his mother slipped past them, he looked back at Tina with an apologetic half-smile, "I won't make you sleep on the floor, you can take the bed."

She smiled at him for a moment, which he thought was gratitude. But then she chuckled once, "Artie, it's four in the afternoon."

After a moment of contemplative silence, Artie shrugged and turned his chair to face her, trying not to laugh at his own stupidity, "I wouldn't know. I've been sleeping on and off all day. And it kinda looks dark out." To that, Tina, only looked down at her wet clothing, and gave a tug on a slick strand of hair. After a sheepish smile, Artie realized his mistake, "Oh. Right. It's raining. Umm… here," he offered, turning back to his room and wheeling over to a low dresser. He opened it and tossed a few things at her. "I doubt they'll fit at all, but you should get out of your wet stuff," he wheeled back to Tina, who was tentatively regarding the shirt and pajama pants she was now holding. "You probably don't want to use my bathroom, but my parents' is down the hall," he pointed, offering a smile.

Shifting uncomfortably, Tina poked her head out into the hallway for a moment. "Is this okay Artie? I mean, me being here. Your mom is really nice and all, but…"

"Tee, seriously, don't worry about it," he interrupted, wheeling closer to her to shoo her out the door, "Now get. You're already sick enough, don't want you to freeze."

She finally obliged, shuffling out of his room and down the hall. As she passed the kitchen, she could hear Mrs. Abrams humming contentedly to herself in the kitchen. Tina paused, and followed the pleasant sound. Shyly stepping into the kitchen, she caught Artie's mother's attention. Quietly, she spoke, "Thank you for letting me stay here, Mrs. Abrams."

The older woman looked started at this, as if she had said something completely absurd. "Why, of course you can stay here. Who am I to turn away Arthur's best friend to soak in the rain?" at this statement, Tina couldn't help but smile. She made a note to inquire just how much Artie had told his mother. "Now go get changed before you freeze, dear," she urged, shooing her in a similar manner that Artie had just minutes before.

As Tina walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but pause to look at the pictures scattered on the walls. One caught her attention, and she took a closer look. It must have been nine or ten years earlier, before the accident. Artie stood with his parents. He stood. Tina brushed the glass of the frame with a gentle touch of her fingertip. She wished she had known him back then, not that it would really matter. A seven year old boy would only run away in fear of cooties or something. Something else tugged at Tina's heart about the picture- and all the others. Artie had a striking resemblance to his parents. And not just his face and stature, but he seemed to reflect who they were. Tina, on the other hand, did everything she could to be everything her parents weren't. She couldn't help but envy the perfect family unit that was represented in the photos, and the loving woman who was happily puttering about the house. Chair or not, Artie had the greatest support he could ask for. With a quiet sigh, she left the pictures to find the bathroom that she had been directed to.

Artie waited about a minute before wheeling out to the hallway to confront his mother. But as he turned to head down to the kitchen, he saw Tina lingering down the hall, looking at the obligatory wall of pictures that most families seemed to have. He watched her carefully, trying to catch a look at her face, which was well guarded by her damp hair. It was strange, but Artie felt a certain degree of closeness with Tina in that moment. They had been friends for a few years now, but they had never really had a reason to meet each other's families. And to have Tina there, looking at his pictures, was like they had made a certain step in understanding. He could have bet money on what picture she was so keen on, too. Artie forgot for a moment why he was in the hallway as he watched her walk away from the pictures. But when she closed the bathroom door behind him, he was snapped back to his senses, and he pushed himself to the kitchen.

"Mom, what happened?" He asked quietly as he rounded the corner.

She turned to face her son, a sad smile on her face, "I don't know why she's here if that's what you're asking. I didn't ask."

He looked back at her, his brow slightly furrowed, "You mean you just let her in and gave her towels without even asking her why she came?"

Her hand went to her hip indignantly, "Arthur Abrams, I am your mother. I would never turn away a friend of yours in any condition like that."

Artie sighed; there was the full name again. "Can you at least tell me what happened when she showed up?"

His mother gave a short nod, sat down in a chair near him and began, "There was a desperate knock on the door, disturbing me from my book. So I got up and opened the door quickly, only to find a dreadful-looking asian girl there. It took me a bit before I recognized the girl as Tina, the girl you talk about ALL the time. So I brought her inside, and went to grab some towels for her to dry off. When I got back, she was on the floor, the poor dear. She didn't say anything until I gave her the towels. She kept apologizing, so I told her she could stay here if she needed to." She stopped to think for a few moments, then looked at her son yet again, "I assumed that would be alright with you. Do you know why she might be here?"

He looked away, glancing down the hallway to make sure Tina wasn't lurking or something. Then he turned back to his mother, and lowered his voice, "Of course it's alright with me. I'd rather she be here than anywhere else. If I had to guess what happened… her parents. They might be getting a divorce. I have a feeling they finally told her about it to her face."

Mrs. Abrams put a hand on her chest in a gesture of surprise. "The poor thing! I'm glad she trusts you enough to know she can come here," she mused, looking at her son carefully. She decided not to say anything more, and simply advised him to return to his room before Tina got out of the restroom.

Tina knew she was spending an inordinate amount of time on something as simple as changing her clothes. But most people underestimated the difficulty of removing those high boots she liked to wear so much when they got wet. Plus, the fact that she was changing in Artie's house didn't really help. She had run from her house to his in the freezing rain without even thinking. And now his mom had welcomed her into their home without so much as a question, and she was now putting on some of Artie's clothes so she could sleep in his room. She sighed once she had finally scrubbed off her makeup and pulled on the loose-fitting pajama pants. They were hilariously too long for her, and she couldn't help but smile. She shrugged and gathered her clothes in one of the towels Mrs. Abrams had provided and opened the door to head back to Artie's room.

"Tina, dear," Mrs. Abrams called from the entryway, "go ahead and put your wet clothes in the laundry room, last door on the left."

Tina smiled, called a quick "Thank you!" over her shoulder, then dropped her bundle of wet clothing in the room provided. With a small smile, she finally pushed open the door to her original destination. She found Artie there, sitting on the bed, his back up against the headboard. "Stole the bed back already?" she asked with a chuckle, leaning in the doorframe.

He looked up quickly, giving her a startled look, "Well it's only…" he made a point to look at the clock on the bedside table, "quarter to five." He patted the empty space beside him in a silent invitation for her to join him, "Plus, you stole my clothes," he added with a smile. Tina tentatively slid onto the bed beside him. It was a tight squeeze, but neither of them seemed to mind. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, something that was rare for them. Artie finally had the strength to break it, "So… can I ask why you're here?" he was met with sad eyes and he tried his best to backpedal, "I mean, not that I don't love having you in my bed- I mean, I don't mind you being here," he was doing a bad job explaining himself, but he was relieved to see Tina laughing at him. "What I mean is, I'm worried," he finally managed.

She sighed and looked away, out the window. The rain had let up a bit, but the sky was still ominously dark. "Mr. Shue sent me home early from glee because I was too sick to sing. When I got home early I overheard my parents fighting. They were arguing over… custody," she felt his hand gently grab hers, giving her a bit of strength to continue. "They argued until they realized I was there. So I ran. And… I didn't even think of where I was going. I just sort of ended up here," she looked at him then. He was watching her with those blue eyes of his, and she felt overwhelming comfort there.

"Well I'm glad you came here," he answered quietly, a small smile on his face, though his eyes betrayed the sadness he felt for her. "And my mom is, too. She'll probably make you more food you can eat, though," he nudged her shoulder with his in an attempt to cheer her up. He was rewarded with the smallest traces of a smile from Tina, though her eyes were still sad and weary. Thinking for a few seconds, he pointed to the bedside table on Tina's side, making a childish grabbing gesture at the remote for the small television that rested on the desk across the room.

She shook her head at him, and grabbed the remote he had been grabbing at. "What are you, seven?" she asked with a slight chuckle, keeping it just out of his reach. He simply pouted at her, and tried to snatch it away from her, only to lose his balance and fall unceremoniously into her lap.

They both laughed at this, though neither made any sign of moving. Tina casually ruffled Artie's hair, pointing the remote at the TV to turn it on. When the screen flickered on, she couldn't help but laugh again. "Seriously, Artie? The Discovery Channel?"

He turned his head to look up at her with a sheepish grin, "You should give it a chance, it's not all nerdy documentaries, you know."

She pondered this proposition, then responded with a small smile while she set the remote down beside her. "Alright, I'll have to be the judge of that."

So they remained that way for a while, Artie's head in Tina's lap, her fingers gently playing with his hair. Watching the shows in relative silence (broken only by laughter or the occasional 'oooh I didn't know that'), their peaceful state was only disturbed when Artie's mother's voice came to them, informing them that she picked up some food.

At the mention of food, they both sat up. Typical teenagers. They were treated with dinner in bed, since they were sick and everything. Though, if they were honest, they had forgotten their fevers and headaches and stuffy noses completely. Even the divorce had left their minds as they had been able to just be together, watching mostly-interesting television. But if being sick got them tasty soup in bed, then bring it on.

Once the soup had been enthusiastically consumed, Artie and Tina seemed to slip back into their quiet peace. Though this time, Tina was laying down (she stole all the pillows) while Artie sat up, completely enthralled in the exciting entertainment that was the Discovery Channel. When something particularly educational was presented, Artie turned to ask Tina what she thought, only to find her gently sleeping by his side.

After turning down the TV, Artie took the rare opportunity to _really _look at Tina. She was facing him, very slightly curled on her side. Her eyes were closed, lips slightly parted as she breathed evenly. With a feather-light touch, Artie pushed a rogue strand of blue hair out of her face, letting his fingers linger on her hair much longer than he would allow if she were awake. "It's been a long day, huh?" he whispered, more to himself than anyone, "You might be shy, Tee, but… you're so strong," his voice held a note of sadness, yet his eyes still held the warm admiration he always felt for her. He let the back of his hand brush her cheek, and was rewarded with a small contented hum that escaped from Tina as she shifted slightly towards the touch. He chuckled quietly, then turned to face back towards the television, his hands folded behind his head.

"I could get used to this," he muttered quietly, taking one last glance at the beautiful girl sleeping in his bed beside him.

And, when Artie wasn't looking, a small smile creeped onto Tina's face.


	30. Halo Walking on Sunshine

**A/N: **_I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the last. Happy New Year to everyone!  
One of my best friends had never seen Glee, so we watched all 13 episodes the other day. Intense! Oh and my laptop is now fixed (update: no it's not, but it's useable) so now I can write whenever I have time, rather than just waiting for my mother to be finished with hers. I'm heading back to school tomorrow, which will probably mean more even updates.  
Update: So I got really sick and was in bed for a few days. I'm back at school now, so after the chaos dies down I can start writing again. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and such, you guys keep me going. And it seems I'm not getting alerts again. Argh.  
And back by popular (one person) demand:  
This time on QotU: Did you do anything cool on New Year's?_

**Chapter 30 : Halo/Walking on Sunshine**

Being the light sleeper that she was, Tina was awakened by the click of the television turning off and the shuffling of Artie scooting towards the edge of the bed. She quickly reached out to grab his wrist, which startled him. He looked at her curiously, only to be met by a very sleepy gaze. "Don't be stupid," she mumbled, "you're not sleeping on the floor."

He tried not to laugh, "Tee, you're delusional. Go back to sleep."

But she only gave a little tug at his arm, very intent on not letting go. "We both fit, chill out," she murmured, her eyes sliding shut again.

He shook his head with a smile, trying one last time to free his arm from her grip. When he failed, he placed his other hand on her extended arm, "Tina…"

This time, Tina opened her eyes with a sharpness that took Artie by surprise. "Artie, we're best _friends_, right?"

Artie refrained from rolling his eyes. They both knew there was more than just close friendship going on, but he was too cowardly to admit that. She was playing him, and he knew it. There was no way she could lose. With a sigh, he gave in, "Yeah…"

"Then what's the problem?" she asked perkily, realizing that she had indeed won.

He just shook his head, reached over, and turned out the light, though the room was still slightly illuminated from hallway light that filtered in from under the door. With a sigh he adjusted his legs before finally laying down, very pointedly facing away from Tina. He grumbled some nonsense, expressing his dismay at this situation, but he removed his glasses, folding them in defeat.

Being the heavy sleeper he was, Artie was out within ten minutes. When he was finally in a deep sleep, his subconscious rolled him over onto his back, his preferred method of sleeping. Tina watched him carefully, smiling at the little noise he made as he shifted. It took a long time for Tina to fall back asleep, but before she did, she decided to take the time and study the sleeping boy beside her. She never saw him in t-shirts, like ever. Trying not to reach out and touch him, she noticed just how toned his arms had become from pushing himself around in the chair. She gave in, and allowed herself to reach over and gently pull at the hem of his sleeve. She had to admit she was impressed, and wondered why he wore such conservative clothes all the time. Another thing to ask his mother, she thought.

Biting her lip, she took another chance and let her fingers go down to the bottom of his shirt, gently pulling back the fabric a little bit. She was excited, yet not surprised, to find a very well-built set of muscles there. Artie had to work hard just to get around, and it was inevitable that he would gain an amazing amount of upper body strength, but that didn't stop Tina from feeling like a giddy fan girl when she was able to see for herself, despite the disappointing lack of light. Despite herself, she got a very vivid mental image of a shirtless Artie, still with his adorable suspenders.  
_Hottttt… Tina! For god's sake, stop it; you're making a fool of yourself. _Her thoughts reeled her back in, though a smile was still tugging at her face. She shook her head at her own thoughts and finally pulled her arm back to leave the sleeping boy alone.

A few hours later, the raging fever returned with a vengeance, sending Artie into a cold sweat. With a soft groan, he squeezed his eyes, unwilling to open them, despite the fact that he was now, in fact, awake. _What a strange dream_, he thought to himself. _Something happened to Tina, and she was staying at my house? How bizarre. And not to mention she was sleeping-_

Artie quickly bit his tongue to avoid making a rather loud exclamation of surprise. His eyes had opened to find his face mere inches away from a sleeping Tina. The awkward twist of his legs alerted him to the awkward fact that he had all but rolled onto her in his sleep, which was quite a feat, considering how much force it usually took him to roll at all.Out of pure curiosity and doubt in his own sanity, Artie extended a hand to touch her hair. When it was in fact solid, he jerked his hand back at the realization that it was real. Not a hallucination, not a dream. He had really just woken up next to Tina- his best friend and the girl he had slowly been falling in love with ever since they had met. _Wait, what? I'm only sixteen! Plus, I'm a guy; I'm not supposed to use that word when describing feelings. Must be the fever talking, _he managed to convince himself.Very slowly memories from the night before started to come back to him. He sighed quietly, remembering the grim circumstances that brought Tina here. Despite himself, he took a moment to appreciate his position; he felt her soft, even breath on his face and could still smell the essence of rain in her hair. And before he knew it, it had fallen back to sleep, a small contented smile lingering on his face.

The next time Tina awoke, it was morning. As she slowly peeked her eyes open one at a time, she was a bit thrown by how close she now was to the soundly sleeping Artie next to her. She blinked a few times to see that there was, indeed, only a small distance between their faces. It took a lot of self control on her part not to do something stupid. Doing her best not to wake him up, Tina scooted backwards so she could breathe properly. She sighed deeply, which evolved into a rather large yawn once she was at the edge of the bed. With a last fleeting glance at her sleeping companion, she swung her legs heavily over the side of the bed, the sudden cold sending uncomfortable shivers through her body. She was even less pleased when her feet met cold hardwood floor. A soft groan escaped her as she got up on shaky legs, suddenly remembering the crippling illness that was running its course through her body. Ignoring it, she scuffled her way to the bathroom. She vaguely remembered Artie's insistence that she use his parent's facilities, but she waved it away quickly.

When she entered the adjoining room, she couldn't help but stare. It was amazingly large, with bars of various heights lining most of the appliances and walls. She considered it for a long moment. After Artie's awkward slip up in the auditorium about his functionality, Tina had been curious exactly what else that entailed. To her relative relief, the fact that he had function that low meant that he didn't have the worst case, by far. And yet there were a lot of obviously special alterations to this bathroom to make it perfectly accessible, and she could see why he would be embarrassed by it. At that moment, Artie's voice floated into her head '_You don't know what you're getting into,'_ but she just shook it off. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle. For him.

When she was finished in the bathroom, she made sure everything was the way she found it before quietly slipping back into Artie's room. She almost laughed out loud when she saw him, face down and occupying as much space as he could. All she could do was be glad she got out of there in time. Doing her best to make a silent exit, Tina stealthily made her way into the hallway. When the door finally clicked behind her, she let out a breath that she had unknowingly held. Though, she wasn't really sure what she was doing then, either. She hadn't really thought her plan through beyond getting out of Artie's room without waking him up. Tentatively, she slowly walked down to the kitchen, where she faintly heard voices. But apparently she wasn't as ninja-like as she hoped because the sound stopped suddenly.

"Tina, dear, come on into the kitchen," she heard Mrs. Abrams' voice call down the hallway, causing her to stiffen slightly. Obediently, she shuffled down the hall, slowly realizing she was still in Artie's clothes, pant legs double functioning as slippers. When she finally got around the corner, she was a bit startled to see two people in the kitchen, though she probably could have deduced that earlier if she had more brainpower than an earthworm in the morning.

The tall, slender man in the room took a long stride toward her, offering his hand enthusiastically, "So we finally get to meet the famous Tina? Robert Abrams, but you can call me Bob." His voice was much like Artie's, but deeper and a bit rougher.

Tina gave her best polite smile as she gingerly took his hand to shake it, though the first thought that went through her head was, _A guy named Bob_ would_ name his son Arthur._ Despite this thought, she tried to look as presentable as possible. "All good things I hope," she replied quietly, slightly embarrassed by his first statement.

"Oh, honey, you could set fire to Arthur's shirt and I'm sure he couldn't say a bad thing about you," Mrs. Abrams laughed heartily, not noticing the furious blush spreading on Tina's face.

Tina managed to squeak out a "Thank you, Mrs. Abrams," while trying to hide her face.

The woman looked slightly horrified, "Oh I'm sorry, dear. In all the fuss last night, I didn't properly introduce myself. Call me Sandy," she smiled warmly at Tina, who was surprised how natural the endearment sounded coming from Artie's mother.

"Well okay, you two, I'm off to work. Feel better, Tina, and tell Artie the same for me," Mr. Abrams called out casually, gathering his briefcase and heading towards the door. He looked back at Tina, his face clearly apologetic, yet amused. Tina decided that she very much liked Bob Abrams.

Her attention shifted back to Mrs. Abrams once the door was shut yet again. "Please, sit down," the older woman insisted, gesturing to a chair at the small round table in the center of the room. Tina obliged, sliding into the seat wordlessly, looking around the kitchen in passive observation. "Would you like some coffee, dear? Or some tea, perhaps?" she offered cordially as she prepared her own coffee.

Tina, who usually didn't rely on caffeine, jumped at the opportunity, "Tea would be great, thanks," she responded quickly. After a moment of sleepy silence, Tina looked back at the bustling woman curiously, "Um… Mrs. Abrams?"

"Sandy," she gently corrected, bringing over the hot water and a few selections of tea.

"Sandy," Tina repeated with a slight smile as she picked the cinnamon tea and placed the bag in the brightly colored mug full. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I mean… about Artie," Tina suddenly felt very shy and her voice grew quiet and unsure, "He… he doesn't really talk about himself much."

Mrs. Abrams seemed to understand, sitting comfortably in the chair across from Tina, "Of course. I keep telling him he has nothing to be embarrassed about." She paused to stir her coffee, looking across the table at the young girl that was nervously folding her hands in her lab.

Tina gave a half-hearted smile, and nodded shallowly, "He told me… how and when it happened, but nothing more than that." Stopping for a moment, she saw a brief darkness overtake Mrs. Abrams' eyes at the mention of the accident. Tina though it was brave of her to face these questions, too, though she never really thought of the effect it would have. However, she was determined to press on, "He just tells me there's a lot involved to… take care of someone like him," Tina's voice grew gradually quieter at the end of the statement, trying not to give herself away too much.

To Tina's relief, Sandy Abrams answered quickly, "Well, he must have been frustrated when he said that, because he was relatively lucky," though there was a hint of sadness in her voice. "The injury was low, enough that he can lead an independent life, which has always been important to him. Yes, you do need special accommodations, but it's not like he needs assisted living," she pointed out casually, looking back at Tina from her coffee.

The young girl was slightly shocked at this. She knew Artie was independent, but hearing it from his mother was a sort of guarantee she couldn't refuse. She was both happy and annoyed at this news. Happy that Artie could lead a relatively normal life, and annoyed that he was going to use that excuse to push her away. But it wasn't the time for that discussion; it was time to change the topic. "This might sound weird, but I'm curious as to the way he dresses…"

She cut Tina off, "That's my fault. The boy hates shopping so much, I just do it for him. I figure if he hates what I get him enough, he'll finally get things for himself," she finished with a sigh, though Tina was holding back a chuckle. "My plan obviously didn't work," Mrs. Abrams muttered.

Tina shook her head gently, idly gliding her finger along the edge of her mug. She wasn't sure if she should ask the next question or not, so she stalled by taking a long drink of the soothing tea before looking back up at Mrs. Abrams. But the clock caught her eye, and she almost spat out the hot tea in horror. After a hard swallow, Tina gasped, "We're going to be late for school!"

Sandy Abrams chuckled quietly, turning to look at the clock as well. With a warm smile she turned back to the panicking teen across the table, "You're not going to school today, dear. Not after running around in the rain last night. Don't worry, you've been called in." She suddenly sat up straighter, as if she remembered something very important, "Oh, dear, I almost forgot! I took the liberty of calling your mother this morning." Tina stiffened at the mention, but Mrs. Abrams raised a hand to stop her from objecting, "She agreed that it might be a good idea for you to stay here for another day or two. She dropped off some clothes and things for you."

Gawking at Mrs. Abrams, Tina wasn't really sure what to think of all this. A moment of introspect reminded her that, while her parents as a unit were certainly a source of agony at this point, her mother was still just that- her mother. She was sure her father would have done something similar. Her parents were at odds with each other, but they were never anything less than decent to her (to her face, that is). Finally, she looked down at her lap, slightly embarrassed, "Are you sure it's alright? I mean, I don't want to intrude-"

"Don't even think about it, dear," Sandra Abram's voice was firm, forcing Tina into a quick silence. "You can stay as long as you need. We are happy to have you. Plus, if Arthur heard that we turned you away, he'd throw a fit," she added with a smile.

Tina sighed slightly, gathering what nerve she had left to ask her final question, "Speaking of that… you said yesterday that Artie told you that we're best friends…" she paused to lightly brush her finger over the edge of her mug again.

Mrs. Abrams beat her to the punch, leaning across the table slightly, "We even think he has a little crush on you," she said in a low voice, causing Tina to turn a few shades pinker.

As her blush intensified, Tina was grateful to hear faint sounds of movement down the hallway. In a voice far too high and fast to be normal, Tina made and excuse to get up, "I think Artie's getting up!" _Parents… _she thought bitterly, _always say the strangest things._

"Oh my…" Mrs. Abrams observed quietly, though she wasn't looking at the clock. With a knowing smile, she nodded and stood up as well. "Well I have to get on with my day. I'm sure you two will be fine for the day. Call if you need anything," she finished casually, gathering her purse and heading towards the door. After Tina gave a squeaky thanks, she was on her way.

Once she was out of the house, Mrs. Abrams couldn't help but shake her head and faintly smile. She couldn't mistake that look in Tina's eyes, she had seen it before, usually in girls much older. And yet, as she left her sick son behind, she felt no worry. If anyone could take care of Artie, it was Tina. There was no mistaking the look of a girl in love.


	31. It's My Life

_A/N: Sorry for the relatively slow updates. Part of the problem is that it's really frustrating working on a half-broken screen. Actually, it's a big part. The backlight on my laptop flickers and goes out sometimes, so I have to constantly reset it and half of the screen has a dark red tinge. Ugh. And anyway there seems to be some sort of viral form of writer's block floating around. Seems most stories I follow have slowed down or come to a screeching halt. At least I'm getting notifications again. Anywhooo… I hope the length of this chapter makes up for how long it took. Even split in half this is a monster._

_My answer to last time's QotU: I hung out with friends as usual. Usually we go to the Fiesta Bowl block party in Arizona, but we opted out of it this year, and just watched movies and played games all night. Oh, and we ate a LOT of food. Strictly girls-only, so it was most excellent.  
This time on QotU: Do you ever get so obsessed with one particular song that you just listen to it over and over without it getting old? If so, what's the most recent one for you?_

_I'm cheating and breaking up the mash up numbers into two chapter titles. I feel like such a rebel._

**Chapter 31 : It's My Life**

Tina nodded absently in vague response to Mrs. Abrams, who was rattling off emergency contacts and medicine locations. She scuffled down the hall back to Artie's room, making sure to pick up the familiar duffle bag that Mrs. Abrams had left near the laundry room for her. When she reached the door, she hesitated for a second or two. She suddenly felt very conscious about busting into Artie's room without notice. Gently pushing on the door handle, she went against her better judgment and peered into the dim bedroom. The strip of light that intruded the room from the cracked open door fell across the disheveled bed, causing a very groggy groan to come from the occupant. Tina allowed herself to smile and slip into the room, sure to close the door behind her. "Well good morning _Arthur_," she greeted quietly.

Artie froze instantly at the voice, recognizing it instantly. _Arthur? Only mom calls me that, but I'm about ninety percent sure that was Tina just now. _When he had first started the unfortunate process of waking up, he had assumed that she would be long gone already. He slowly slid his torso up, reaching a seated position as he tried to look at her. It was no use, his glasses were gone and his eyes were squinty, but he didn't really need to see to know that it was her, anyway. In a craggy voice that reminded him that he was, in fact, ill, he managed to grumble, "You've been talking to my mom. That can't be good." Ignoring the urge to just fall back onto the bed, Artie reached over to turn on the bedside lamp and grab his glasses. After they were securely on his face, he looked back at her again, "What time is it?" he asked, his face confused as he turned to regard the muted sunlight coming through the curtains.

"Too late to go to school. Your mom called us both in," she responded rather happily, sitting gingerly on the very far edge of the bed. "And… it looks like I'm staying here tonight, too," she added cautiously, not really sure what his reaction would be. While they were best friends, any sort of unplanned overnight stay wasn't exactly normal- and more than one night was just a bit weird.

He blinked at her for a few moments, "Really? What about-"

"Your mom called my mom," Tina answered before he could ask. She lifted the bag she was carrying enough so he could see, and sheepishly smiled, "My mom dropped some stuff off for me."

The gracious smile that appeared on Artie's face reminded Tina who she was dealing with. "That's great," he said quietly, stretching his arms quickly. "Are my parents still here?" he asked between yawns. When Tina answered in the negative he smiled again, "Good, you can use their bathroom again."

Tina wasn't about to tell him that she had explored his bathroom earlier that morning, so she simply grabbed the duffle bag and scurried out of the room, dragging the hems of the grey plaid pajama pants Artie had loaned her. She found her way into the familiar bathroom down the hall, dropping her bag down onto the cool tile. Putting the cover down, she used the toilet as a temporary chair as she quickly zipped open the duffle. Inside were the usual things- clothes, toothbrush, small travel-size (airport approved 3oz bottles, no less) shampoo- but on top was a folded piece of paper labeled 'Tina' on the exterior. She was dubious, recognizing her mother's handwriting. Gingerly she unfolded the paper and began to read.

_Dear Tina,_

_I'm so so sorry you had to hear that yesterday. You're a smart girl, so I'm sure you've noticed that your father and I haven't got along recently. I don't know what is going to happen, but remember that however things work out, we love you._

_We're going to try and work things out for your sake. We're going away for a few days to see if that helps. Sandy Abrams said she would be happy to let you stay with her. Since you ran there, I assumed it's somewhere you want to be. You can always call your aunt in Dayton if you need somewhere else to go._

_We'll be back on Friday.  
I love you, sweetie, and hope you feel better._

_Talk soon.  
Love,_

_Mom_

As Tina finished off the letter, she felt a tiny pang of homesickness. She wanted things to go back to normal, the way they were before all of this mess started. With a soft sigh, she tucked the letter into a side pocket of the bag and pulled out her necessary shower equipment. She took a moment to consider the clothing her mother had packed. They were her usual outfits, but were completely unappealing considering the generally gross state she was in. Luckily, at the bottom of the bag was a set of pajamas she found suitable for a sick day. It was a little on the scanty side, but she figured Artie's house had enough central heating to be comfortable anyway.

Once Artie was finally finished in the bathroom (he knew he had a perfectly legitimate excuse, but seriously- sometimes he wondered if he took more time than a hormonal preteen girl) and decently dressed, he cautiously wheeled through the door into his room, only to find that Tina wasn't there. A slight tightness rose to his chest as he temporarily panicked, assuming that she had decided living with him was too weird or too much to handle. Where would she go now? Why hadn't he been more inviting? What if she got hit by a bus? Artie shook his head rather violently, trying to restore clarity to his thoughts. _Chill out. Stop panicking. _He convinced himself, wheeling to the bedroom door. As he began to head down the hallway, he heard the faint noise of the living room television. He gave a silent sigh of relief, and wondered what state his mind must be in to panic at the sight of Tina NOT in his bed. This sickness was starting to be a real pain.

He found her curled up on the loveseat across from the television, idly flicking through the channels. "Well don't you look comfy," he spoke as he pulled his wheelchair up next to the couch. Tina was visibly startled, obviously not expecting him at that very moment. Embarrassed, she quickly muted the TV and made a move to get on her feet, but he held up a hand to stop her. After double checking to make sure his wheels were locked, Artie transferred himself from the chair to the loveseat in a precise, athletic series of movements that left Tina's mouth slightly agape. He gave her a sheepish smile, "Years of practice," his explanation was simple, but it was enough to earn a smile from his friend on the other side of the seat.

"How are you feeling?" she asked after a moment of though. She had decided it was the least awkward way to start the conversation. Tina had become slightly uncomfortable in the Abrams' household once Artie was not in the immediate vicinity. When he wasn't around to distract her, she felt like some sort of sad squatter. So, she decided to keep with the distraction.

At her question, he tilted his head slightly, as if it wasn't the question he would have expected. "I'm feeling okay. My fever's gone down, I think. Though my mother says that there's no way for me to tell," he added with a little chuckle. His eyes went back to rest on Tina and he was very suddenly aware of how little clothing she was wearing. A slim black tank top and some black and red fabric that he supposed could technically qualify as shorts. Using all his self control, he kept his eyes on her face, and not her bare legs that were dangerously close to him, "So um…," he lost his train of though, too focused on _not_ checking out his strictly friend-only companion. Shaking his head very slightly he was able to continue, "How are you doing? I mean feeling," he corrected quickly.

Completely unaware of his train of thought, Tina was bewildered by Artie's sudden change in demeanor. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she asked quietly, lifting her head off the leather to peer at him carefully. When he nodded quickly, she decided to drop it, "I think my body just remembered that it's sick. I'm not feeling any better than yesterday," she finally admitted with a little shrug, "Though I'm not surprised, running through the rain and all," she added with a smile. When she saw Artie's small smile fade a little she sighed and pulled out her mother's letter and handed it over, "Plus, I found this in my bag."

Artie took it carefully, unfolding the page and quickly scanning the script. He could hear Tina collapse back into the corner of the couch with a sigh. When he finished, he peered over at the paper at her. She seemed to be staring at the ceiling, curled up a little tighter than before. After watching for a moment or two longer, Artie read the letter again more carefully. He wasn't really sure what to make of it. Finally, he found the courage to break the silence, "You're not going to Dayton, are you?" he asked quietly. That was apparently not what she expected, judging by the quizzical look she shot him. Before she could ask, he shrugged and continued, "You said you'd be staying here another night, but this says your parents are gone until Friday."

Tina was startled with the slight sadness in the blue eyes that locked with hers. They simply looked at each other for a long moment until Tin finally broke the gaze, and the silence. "I didn't want to assume… I wanted to ask if it's really okay… I mean two nights is already a lot," she mumbled quietly, not really sure how to explain herself. She let her eyes flick back to his, but was again met with a tinge of hurt there.

"Tina…" he began quietly, forgoing the nickname for now, "I already told you we want you to stay. Please trust me," he insisted softly. When he sensed the mood going south, he decided to add, "Plus my mom likes having another girl around," his voice becoming light again, which brought a small smile to Tina's face. When she opened her mouth to speak, he was quick to cut her off, "And don't you dare apologize or thank me again, or I _might_ smother you with a pillow."

Laughing quietly, Tina shook her head at him. "Okay, okay, I'll stop," she surrendered, then looked back to the muted TV, which was showing some boring infomercial about some obviously bogus miracle diet. "Want to try and find something to watch? I checked a few channels and didn't see anything, but who knows," she began, reaching for the remote again.

With a slight scoff, Artie snatched the remote from her, "Tee, it's 10 am on a Tuesday. All we'll find is infomercials and the local news. Why don't you go pick out a movie over there?" he asked, pointing to a bookcase lining the wall adjacent to the television. She got up off the couch with a grumble, trying not to trip over anything.

As Artie went about sorting through the plethora of remotes required to function the DVD player, Tina scanned through the library of movies trying to find something that would keep her entertained. She was overjoyed when she found one of her favorite titles in the lineup, and pulled it out of the shelf, but as she was about to turn back, something else caught her eye.  
On the shelf above the DVDs, there were a few pieces of what she assumed to be family memorabilia. A glass music box, an ancient looking little clock, and a few other knickknacks, but front and center was a small picture, in a simple pewter frame. It was of Artie and another girl who looked several years older than him, but too young to be in his mother's generation. She vaguely recognized the face from a couple of the hallway pictures, but she had just dismissed her as some extended family figure.

"Hey Artie," she called, eyes not leaving the picture. "Who's this with you in the picture on the bookcase?" she asked curiously, letting a finger brush off some dust from the frame, still clutching the movie in her other hand.

Artie stopped, thinking for a moment. He didn't exactly look up there much, so he was about to give a sassy answer when he remembered. "Oh," he responded perkily, "that's Ellen," he finished, as if it were an obvious answer. When there was no reply, he looked up at Tina, who was just looking at him expectantly. His brow furrowed slightly as he came to terms with the suddenly awkward situation he was now in. "Umm… well…" he wasn't really sure how to start, so he stalled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Luckily Tina put two and two together before he had do, though maybe it wasn't so lucky after all, as she swiftly walked back over to the couch and gave Artie a hard smack on the shoulder with the plastic DVD case, "You have a sister?!" she asked, her voice rising with the accusation. She smacked the back of his head with her free hand.

"Ow.. Ouch!" he complained against the abuse. "Half sister!" he indignantly replied, as if it would make a difference.

Tina sat next to him, landing hard on the cushions, glaring at him. "Artie!" she whined, "How do I not know this?"

Artie looked at her apologetically, "I guess it just never came up," he paused to deflect another smack to the head, "Come on, Tee, she's ten years older than me and hasn't lived here for eight years. We're not exactly close."

She decided to forego the physical abuse and settled on sulking in her seat. "Still," she muttered, "seems like that should be something I should know." When she noticed how uncomfortable Artie looked, she tried to lighten the conversation, "So Ellen, huh? And wait- ten years?"

He gave a quiet laugh, "Her full name is Elinor."

"Elinor and Arthur," she smirked slightly, "Where did your parents pull _those_ from?"

"My mom was on a big Jane Austin kick in high school, when she had Ellen. It was either Elinor or Elizabeth, but apparently that was too common for my mom. She didn't know my dad yet back then. But when I came along… well, my dad's name is Bob, and he decided he wanted his son to have a cooler name than him," Artie explained slowly, trying to put together the old stories his mother loved to tell on birthdays and other embarrassing opportunities.

Tina couldn't help but snort at this- trying to restraining her laughter was no longer successful. "Let me guess, King Arthur?"

Artie gave a quiet defeated sigh, "Yes. King Arthur," he confirmed reluctantly. He heard the laughter come from Tina at last. He gave her a moment to revel in his embarrassment, then he reached over and yanked the DVD out of her lap. "Alright, that's enough making fun of me for now, what did you find over there?" he asked as he turned the case over to read the title. "Oh the Italian Job! Good choice."

His very obvious methods of changing the subject only spurned more giggles from Tina, but she finally gained control of herself again and decided to drop the subjects for now. After swallowing her giggles for the final time, she nodded and got up again to take the DVD, "Yeah, it's one of my favorites." She walked over to the TV, and stared at it for a long moment. Artie hit the eject button, causing a little tray to slide out from under the control panel. She looked at it with a sense of childish wonder that made Artie smile. As she put the disk in the tray, she murmured, "Sneaky…" at it, like it was intentionally hiding from her.

This was just too much for Artie and he let a chuckle escape him. _Sometimes, she's just too cute_, he thought to himself. It was a strange thought for him to have, especially since her distractingly short shorts were on prime display as she leaned over to mess with the DVD controls. "Come and sit down, Tee, I can handle it with the remotes now," he quickly insisted, not wanting to find out what would happen to his brain if he kept staring at her.

Happily complying, Tina returned to the loveseat, curling instantly into the corner opposite to Artie. She reached over the arm of the couch, retrieving the blankets she had smuggled from the fake 'bed' on the floor of Artie's room. In that moment, mostly covered by blanket on the couch next to Artie (her toes secretly tucked under his leg), she felt content. Sure she had just uncovered yet another unknown part of Artie's life that he hadn't told her- his supposed best friend- and yet, she let it go rather quickly. When she was with him, her body seemed to forget its sickness and let her just be. Of course, she kept a mental note to bring up this mystery sister at her next chance, but for now she would leave him be. Good decision, she reasoned, considering the fact that she had pretty much agreed to live with him for the next four days.

They began to watch the movie in relative silence. As the movie's introduction progressed, Tina gradually expanded out of her tucked position until she pretty much extended the length of the loveseat. She even went so far as to lay her legs across Artie's lap, which posed an interesting dilemma for Artie when he needed a place to put his hand. He figured, if she could put her feet over his lap, he could rest a hand on her leg. Though, the warm contact did funny things to Artie's head. He became very aware of the contact, her leg very obviously bare. Finally, a rather long stretch of plot development that involved no cool scheming or Seth Green followed the action-packed introduction.

It was Tina who started speaking first. "Hey Artie?" she asked quietly. He tore his eyes away from the movie to look at her, answering with curious 'hm?' Tina watched for another moment before turning to meet his eyes, "We've been friends since eighth grade, right?" she asked again, though clearly it wasn't deserving of a real answer. "And we were practically best friends from the start, right?"

While it seemed like she was asking herself more than him, he answered this time, "Maybe because we didn't have any other friends," he ended with a slight chuckle. When she gave him a disapproving look, he was sure to add, "Not that we wouldn't have become best friends anyway, Tee. I'm just saying our mutual loneliness brought us closer together much faster than usual."

Tina seemed satisfied with this answered and decided to cut to the chase, sitting up on the couch, "Doesn't it seem strange that you didn't even know where my house was until this year? And I hadn't met your parents until yesterday?"

He knew what she was getting at, "I have a couple theories," he began, adjusting his glasses the way he did when he had something smart to say, "I think that last year, since we were freshman, we were busy just surviving. This year, since we're in glee and have some other friends, we finally have time to really get to know each other. I know it sounds weird, but we really were just focused on trying not to get thrown in the trash or taped to flagpoles until now."

She thought about this for a moment, "Yeah I guess all we have to worry about now is the occasional slushie. Well… maybe the _occasional_ trash dump or pole-taping, but not like it was before," she agreed. She sighed quietly, "I just feel like… I know you really well, Artie, but now I feel like I don't know all that much _about_ you," she became visibly embarrassed yet again and looked away from him, and back at the movie.

"Hey," he said softly to get her attention back. When she finally looked back at him, he gave one of his warm smiles and patted the part of the cushion next to him. With a little half-smile, she obliged him, sliding over next to him, making sure to bring the blanket with her. When she seemed mostly settled, inevitably leaning against his side, he patted her head softly, "We have four days to fix that. But for now, Seth Green is back."

_A/N: Sometimes I love being a college student. I'm eating cheese. And not good cheese, but shredded cheese out of a bag. I thought you all should know._


	32. Mercy

_A/N: I feel really bad about the slow updates, but it's the beginning of school term, and I'm still scrambling to remember what my schedule is. Plus my Tuesdays and Thursdays are absolutely packed. Yikes. And I had a paper due yesterday already! Egads!_

_I want to send out a special thank you to all my loyal readers who have kept with the story, and especially to those who take the time to review, it really makes my day and motivates me to write the next chapter._

_I'm also glad to know I'm not alone in my cheese-eating habits. I don't think I've had so many comments on an author's note, except for maybe when I wrote those two chapters at the airport/on the plane and hugged an old man._

_QotU: What's your favorite kind of cheese? You know you have one. Yes I did write this QotU right after posting the last chapter._

_My answer to last time's QotU: It happens to me all the time. Most recently I had Zak and Sara by Ben Folds on repeat for a few days. Not sure why, but I did. And when I was done, I was totally over it, and just put it back in my normal playlists._

**Chapter 32 : Mercy**

By the time the movie was over, Tina was all but laying in Artie's lap, his hand resting lightly on her waist. As the end credits started to roll, Artie stretched his arms out in front of him with a low groan, but Tina made no movement at all. Looking down into his still occupied lap, he saw that her eyes were closed. With a small smile, his hand returned to her side, rubbing it gently in a very weak attempt to wake her. She apparently was in a deeper sleep than expected, as she didn't respond to this either.

He resigned to just letting her sleep there. Who was he to move her, anyway? Craning over the sleeping Tina, he grabbed a remote off of the coffee table to turn the sound down as he decided to watch the little behind-the-scenes documentary to pass the time. While he watched, his hand automatically moved to rest on the waist of his sleeping companion, but he was startled to feel his hand meet bare skin. Remembering the last time this had happened, he flushed slightly. But she wasn't awake to notice this time, so he made no attempt to remove his hand. Instead, for some reason unknown to him (maybe it was the cold meds he took earlier that morning), he grew a little bolder. Nudging the bottom hem of her shirt, he moved his hand up her side a bit, just too feel the smooth warmth of her skin. She was quite warm, presumably from the blanket that covered her minutes ago. He took to tracing imaginary shapes on her pale skin, but when his fingers very lightly traced across her side, he didn't get any sort of response still.

After some less subtle poking and prodding with no movement, he began to grow concerned. He looked at her face again, but he did not find peace there. There was an unnatural stillness to her that turned his concern into growing panic. Upon further inspection, he confirmed that she was at least breathing, though it was shallow and ragged. He gingerly pressed the back of his hand against her forehead and was met with an alarmingly intense heat that could only be caused by severe illness. When he felt this, Artie went into mild hysterics, not sure what to do. He was mostly pinned under Tina's body, but he spotted her phone on the ground in front of the couch. With some extreme stretching, he managed to grab it with his fingers and pull it quickly up onto the unoccupied half of his lap. Sliding it open with unnecessary force, he dialed his mother's number from memory.

It ringed for what seemed like forever until there was finally a click and a pause and then,

"_Sandra Abrams," _he heard his mother's sing-song voice answer, and he gave a sigh of relief.

"Mom, I have a big problem," he quickly started, speaking a little faster and louder than usual from his panic.

"_Artie? Artie, what's wrong?"_

"Mom, Tina's got a really high fever and I think she passed out or something, she won't wake up!"

"_Oh the poor dear, umm… try to get a washcloth and soak it in cold water, try to get her to cool down. Make her drink some water if you can. If she comes to, get her some Nyquil from the kitchen, you know where it is."_

Artie took a mental inventory, nodded to no one and quickly replied to the phone, "Okay mom, thanks bye!" he finished quickly and practically threw the phone down. It was a difficult enough task to get from the couch back to his chair, but he had the extra weight of Tina on his lap. He used his arms to slide her off him before making the transfer. Once in the chair he set out like a man on a mission. He went as efficiently as he could, having mapped out a route like a military commander. First he went to the kitchen, grabbed the bottle of Nyquil and grabbed a shallow bowl and filled it with cold water. He went back to the couch and dropped these items off before wheeling down the hall to his parent's bathroom and grabbed a spare washcloth, then hit the kitchen one last time to get a glass full of ice water. Finally he had all of his supplies, and just stared at the limp form on the couch for a moment.

He felt so guilty. There she had been, not complaining about her pain, as usual, and what does he do? He practically tries to feel her up while she was passed out! What a horrible, horrible thing to do. Artie pushed these thoughts away for now; he had to worry about getting Tina back first. After making sure everything was place within reach from his corner of the couch, he made the transfer back, making sure not to crush any part of Tina in the process. He paused, considering the best way to do this. Quickly, a solution was found, and Artie pulled up one of his legs onto the couch, and placed it along the back edge of the couch, leaning his weight into the corner. It took most of his strength to pull Tina against him, but once she was in place, he was able to hold her up with his arms, her head resting against his shoulder as he awkwardly tried to keep her in a semi-sitting position. He leaned over to dunk the washcloth in the bowl of water, then brought it back up, placing it on her forehead.

As the cold water dripped down her face, Tina's face twitched. Artie held his breath as her eyes fluttered open slightly. "Artie?" she asked quietly, slowly realizing the position she was now in. Her back was against his chest, his legs were on either side of her, and one of his arms was around her middle, holding her to him.

He breathed finally, relief washing over him, "Oh god, Tina, you scared me! Are you okay? I have some medicine for you," he quickly babbled, reaching over for the Nyquil.

She furrowed her brow, completely ignoring his question, "Why am I so wet?"

"Oh, my mom said a cold washcloth would help," he explained, not sure why she was so bewildered.

She gave a single laugh, "Artie, you're supposed to wring it out, first."  
He sighed, and instinctively placed his lips against the top of her head with a smile, "Sorry, I was really worried," he whispered. Remembering the medicine in his possession, Artie hastily poured the little plastic cap full and handed it to her. "Take this," he insisted.

She recognized the green liquid, "Nyquil? I don't think that's such a good idea… it messes with my head."

"Better you sleep on your own terms, Tee. Drink it. You'll feel better later when you wake up."

She craned her neck to look back up at him, "If you say so, Artie. This stuff usually knocks me out, then I wake up feeling really loopy."

He chuckled slightly, "Better loopy than passing out on me," he reminded, and nudged her hand.

After rolling her eyes, she downed the little aliquot of the stuff. Her face contorted slightly at the bitter taste, and was relieved when Artie offered the glass of water to wash it down. With a little sigh, she looked back at him again, "Well don't say I didn't warn you."

At that point she made a move to get up and go back to bed, but the arm that Artie hadn't used to douse her with water and subsequently drug her with was still holding her. She looked down at it, then gave him a quizzical look. He looked as if he had forgotten, too, and he snatched his arm away, letting her go. "Sorry," he murmured, "I guess I got a little scared," he admitted. Of what, he wasn't quite ready to admit out loud.

The sentiment sent a warm smile across Tina's face, and she considered him for a while before turning back around, and settling herself back into his chest, her head tucked under his chin. "I'm not going anywhere," she decided quietly. Before being dragged into a state of steady slumber, she felt his arm very hesitantly return to hold her around the middle again.

Artie let out a deep sigh of relief when she went back to sleep. His arm held her a bit tighter than necessary, but he was still coming down from the initial panic that had overtaken him. Deeming himself stable once again, Artie grabbed the remote once again and flicked the TV back to regular, boring programming. After what felt like hours, he was severely bored of the infomercials, and turned his attention back to the sleeping girl resting against his chest. Her head was still nestled under his chin, her arms folded close. She had brought her legs closer, too, cold feet tucked under his unfeeling leg. With a small smile, he stroked her hair absentmindedly. The tough guard he'd held against her for the past few weeks faded in the safety of her sleep, allowing himself to close his eyes and revel in their position.

As he pressed his lips gently to the top of her head, she began to stir. Startled, Artie snapped back to his senses and quickly removed both his arms from her. She curled even tighter in a sort of reverse stretch, the motion reminding Artie just how much contact there was between them. He swallowed nervously, semi-hoping she would just go back to sleep. Instead, she gave a little sigh, and turned her head up to look at him. He noticed there was a sort of misty fog over her eyes, blocking the usual piercing clarity they usually carried. She gave a little sly smile, scooting up to sit eye to eye with him.

"Hi, Artie," she cooed softly, leaning towards him, her hands on his chest.

He was effectively trapped, pinned to the side of the couch, Tina kneeling between his legs. And he didn't trust the look in her eyes. Maybe this was what she meant by loopy. "Um, you feeling okay, Tee?"

She gave a hollow chuckle, then stared at him for a long moment. Her eyes flickered to his lips, and she simply leaned forward to kiss him square on the mouth. Artie's eyes widened in surprise, totally taken aback by the sudden assault. He was about to push her off him when he felt her hands sneak under his shirt. A shiver ran through his entire body as he felt her nails gently rake his skin, and he felt his own eyes slide shut. She pounced on the opportunity as he relaxed, deepening the kiss, almost forcing a response out of him. Defeated, he reciprocated, his hands finding their way up her sides. Despite his efforts, she was clearly still in control. He even felt a sense of longing disappointment when she pulled away, only to land her mouth on the tender skin of his neck.

Once he felt teeth-to-skin contact, Artie was pulled out of the lusty fog emanating from the obviously drugged assailant. With more force than intended, he pushed her off of him, causing her to slide to the other end of the little couch. They were both breathing heavily, and Artie could see the mist in Tina's eyes grow thicker, her eyelids growing heavier. And as quickly as it all had started, it ended as she passed out again.

Artie couldn't help but sigh in relief. He should have heeded Tina's warning before he forced her to take that stupid Nyquil. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths to steady himself and clear his head. That was… if he was honest with himself, that was actually quite enjoyable, but it was wrong on so many levels. First, she was high off of the 'quil, and second of all, they were best friends! It was clear she still had feelings for him, and it was mutual, but he just wasn't sure if crossing the line from friends to more-than-friends was such a good idea. He remembered all of his brain's arguments against the idea- she wouldn't want him for long, he wasn't enough for her, he didn't want to lose her, etc etc. His thoughts continued as he watched the girl in question sleep across from him. Recalling the previous incident, his stomach tightened. Maybe having her around for the next four days wasn't such a good idea after all. He wasn't sure if he could handle another encounter like that without giving in to his rekindling feelings for his best friend. Then again, four days to get to know her better was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

He must have been thinking for several minutes, as he saw Tina start to move again. As her eyes opened, Artie couldn't help but brace himself against the side of the loveseat. But when she looked at him, Artie was relieved to find the shining clarity returned to her eyes.

"Artie?" she asked dubiously. She had been sleeping against him, last she could remember. And he looked like he was prepared to fight some wildcat, the way he was looking at her… oh no. "Oh god, I did something, didn't I?" she mumbled the question, the look on Artie's face giving all the answer she needed. She groaned as she rubbed her eyes, then looked him over carefully, noticing that he looked slightly more disheveled than she had remembered, "I told you I shouldn't have taken that medicine! I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked suddenly, sitting up, tucking her feet under her.

With a heavy sigh, he shook his head, absently rubbing the spot on his neck where she had bit him, "I don't think you left a mark," he teased slightly, even if she had no idea what had happened. When she looked slightly more horrified, he shook his head quickly, "You didn't try to hurt me, Tee, you just…" he paused, trying to find a gentle way of describing what had exactly happened. He defaulted to their usual method of describing such things, "you came on to me _really_ strong," putting as much emphasis on the words as he could.

A flicker of recognition flashed across Tina's face and she gasped, throwing her hands up to cover her mouth. "Dear god, I did," she started, the memory gradually coming to her. After a moment of quiet, she giggled slightly, "You shouldn't have kissed me back," she said coyly, lowering her hands to smile at him, "you just encouraged me."

He rolled his eyes, trying to distract from the scarlet blush that was creeping into his face, "You didn't exactly take no for an answer," he threw as an excuse, though the knowing smile that remained on Tina's face proved that she wasn't going to buy it. He decided to change the subject, "Are you feeling better at least? Here, drink some more water," he forced the cup of water at her.

She smirked a little, but she let it drop for fear of getting too awkward. She gingerly took a sip of the water before answering, "Yeah I'm okay, just a bit of a headache now." After a few more sips of water, she set the cup back down beside the couch and regarded Artie for a moment. "Sorry," she spoke softly, searching his eyes to make sure she hadn't messed things up again.

He just gave a soft smile and extended an arm to her, "It's not really your fault. Come on, you look exhausted."

A giddy smile took over Tina's face as she swiftly returned to using Artie as a pillow in her previous position. "Slap me if I try that again," she murmured into his shoulder as she let her eyes close yet again.

He laughed softly and gently returned his arm to her waist, "I don't think I could, you were pretty fierce," he responded into her hair, hugging her close. Tina managed to chuckle once or twice before falling into a peaceful sleep, which she so desperately needed.

After a few minutes, Artie heard a telltale buzzing sound coming from the table. But it was Tina's phone that was sliding across the table as it vibrated, not his. After a moment of consideration, he leaned over and swiped it, looking at the screen. One missed message from Mercedes. Artie stared for a minute before sliding the phone open.

_U really sick? U never miss school!!! K n I r coming over. w/soup 4 real this time._

Artie bit his lip before deciding what to do. This was definitely crossing some line, but he had a feeling Tina wouldn't want Mercedes and Kurt to show up at her empty house, so he tentatively began his response.

_Hi Mercedes, this is Artie. Tina is staying at my place while her parents are out of town. You're welcome to come over here if you bring food. _He waited less than a minute before the reply came.

_Shes STAYING there? will be there asap_

He had a bad feeling about this, but just sighed and quickly responded with his address and where the spare key was hidden (he had a feeling he wasn't going to be getting out of the couch by thing) before closing the phone and dropping it back on the low table. Well this was going to be interesting.


	33. Young Girl

_A/N: Last chapter's QotU got more responses than ever. Seriously I ask normal questions like 'what's your favorite TV show?' and 'where are you from?' and 'what's your favorite subject in school?' and I get nothing. I ask what your favorite type of cheese is, and you all jump. I love you guys._

_Since I took so long on the past couple chapters, I'm going to try and get this one done before tomorrow is over. My roommate is out skiing, so I should have no reason not to. Except for all that work I should be doing…But never mind that, on with the story!_

_Oh just kidding, I almost forgot about the QotU!  
QotU: What's your favorite fast food restaurant? (In case you're wondering, I'm out of food. I'm going to the grocery store as soon as this chapter is finished)  
My answer to last time's QotU: My favorite cheese is probably Romano. Short second is Parm, for sure._

**Chapter 33 : Young Girl**

Mercedes snapped her phone shut with more force than necessary, waking Kurt up from his daydreaming. His finely groomed eyebrows knitted together at the sight of Mercedes' shocked expression. "What's wrong?" he was quick to ask, knowing that expression all too well. "Tina's not dying, is she?"

Mercedes simply shook her head slowly, still staring blankly at nothing in particular. Handing over the phone, she mumbled, "Check out the text I got back from Tina's phone."

Bewildered by her behavior, Kurt flipped open the phone and navigated to the inbox, finding the recent text from Tina. Except it wasn't from Tina. His jaw dropped as he read it, then looked back at the still-dazed Mercedes. "Her parents are out of town so she's staying with _Artie_?" he asked, incredulous.

She shrugged in response, then finally looked at him in the face and asked, "Know where we can get some soup?"

Artie regretted inviting Mercedes and Kurt over almost immediately, as Tina had somehow managed to snake her arms around his neck, her forehead resting in the crook of his neck. It was more comfortable that way; Artie's arm around her waist was just an accessory, not really necessary to keep her in place. Backup, he rationalized. He didn't want her… you know, rolling off the couch or something. He wasn't about to push her off, either, but he knew he was in for some trouble if she didn't move before the gossip mongers showed up. His mind raced, trying to come up with a way to explain their situation without causing more drama than necessary. Feeling slightly defeated, he knew that one way or another, Kurt and Mercedes would have a complete field day with this one. Once again he consulted his mind for help.

_Okay, I'll say that she's only this close because she moved in her sleep. Which is partially true. And I'll tell them that she had too much medication and wasn't in her right mind. Also mostly true. Should I tell them about Tina's parents? Last resort, maybe. Hopefully Tee wakes up before I need to go that far. Crap, why did I let them come over? Just remember the food. They're bringing food. Makes everything better._

It was all too soon that Artie heard the loud, urgent knocking on the door that could only mean Mercedes was there. With a sigh, he just waited until he heard the jiggling key in the lock. The door burst open, causing Artie to wince slightly. "We're in here," he called quietly, leading their two friends to round the corner.

When Mercedes' eyes fell on her two friends on the couch, she dropped the brown bag she had been carrying. Kurt followed close behind, first regarding the bag of bread on the floor, then the scene that Mercedes' was not-so-gracefully gaping at. "Glad I was the one carrying the soup," he murmured to himself before stepping in to the room, leaving the stunned Mercedes in the hall.

"Umm… she's asleep," Artie pointed out the obvious, hoping to cut through the inevitable awkward.

"Well no shit, Sherlock," Mercedes hissed, finally snapping out of her stupor to snatch up the bag of bread and make her way to one of the other couches in the room. She sat down violently, dropping the bag of bread on the coffee table in the middle of the room. "Care to _explain_?" she pressed, glaring hard at Artie.

Kurt saved Artie by sitting down gently next to Mercedes, setting the tub of soup next to the bag, "Calm down, Mercedes. We don't want to wake Tina. Let him talk."

Artie was grateful for the strange power Kurt always seemed to hold over Mercedes. He gave a little sigh before beginning his story with pre-assigned parameters. "As I said in the text I sent, Tina's parents are… out of town. She decided to stay here instead of going all the way to Dayton to stay with her aunt-"

"Cut the crap, Abrams," Mercedes interrupted. "We'll ask Tina herself why she's at your house, but can you tell us why she's practically _nuzzling_ you?"

"She's asleep!" he insisted, trying to keep his voice down. "And she took too much cold medicine, I didn't put her here!" his voice grew a little frantic, trying to avoid the obvious implications she was throwing at him.

Kurt, who had stealthily stolen a loaf of bread out of the bag and was slowly picking at it, was the one to interrupt this time, "You hand on her waist says otherwise," his voice was cool and calm, as if it were an obvious detail hardly worth mentioning. When he was met with blank looks, he continued, "Even if you didn't put here there, it sure looks like you're keeping her there."

Artie's hand was off of her waist as soon as the words left Kurt's mouth, but it was Mercedes who spoke next, "And she's wearing practically nothing," she decided to point out.

"That's not my fault!" Artie indignantly replied, a little louder than necessary, trying to combat the blush that was threatening to take over his face. But apparently the sudden movement of his hand and the voices finally got to be too much, and Tina began to move.

Her face came out of his neck and she peered up at him through half-squinted eyes. "Artie?" she began, "Are you- gah!" she caught sight of Kurt and Mercedes before she could say anything else. Almost instantly, she had flung herself across the couch, grabbing the blanket when she got there.

"Mercedes and Kurt are here," Artie stated flatly, handing her the glass of water that was still on the coffee table.

She took it, taking a drink while peering over the edge at her two friends. "I see that," she responded as she handed the now empty cup back to Artie. "Umm… how are you guys?" she tried to act like this all was perfectly normal.

Mercedes and Kurt exchanged a pointed look before looking back at Tina and Artie. "Girl, we fine. Now are you going to tell us what happened or do we have to keep interrogating it out of Wheels?" Mercedes decided to cut to the chase, which resulted in Tina looking horrified while Artie just looked like he was in pain.

With a heavy sigh and a look to Artie for comfort, Tina was resigned to tell the pair enough to keep them satisfied. "I went home early from glee yesterday, remember? Well when I got home, I found my parents fighting so I ran away-"

"Didn't it rain yesterday?" Mercedes asked, as if she was accusing Tina of something.

Artie rolled his eyes, "Yes. It did. Hence why Tina's so sick."

Mercedes looked at Kurt, one eyebrow raised dubiously. "So you ran to _Artie's_ house in the rain?" she clarified.

When Tina nodded, Kurt muttered, "how romantic," under his breath, though by the glares he received, he wasn't as quiet as he had hoped. To cover, he shoved another piece of bread in his mouth.

"Hold up, so you've been here since yesterday?" Mercedes asked again, another obvious question in need of no answer, "And how long are you staying?"

"Friday," Artie answered, giving Tina a very pointed look. "My mom convinced her mom that she could stay until her parents get back," he explained, trying to remain as calm as possible.

Tina looked at Artie for a long moment. He was really going to insist she stay with him. This sentiment sent little fluttery feelings through her stomach, which she attempted to beat down as she faced Kurt and Mercedes again, "They left town once they realized I had overheard them. They want to try and 'work it out'," she made deliberate air quotes with her fingers are she said this last part.

Having finally swallowed the piece of bread he swallowed, Kurt took his turn to interrogate the pair, "As sorry as we are about your parents, can we ask what, exactly, you were doing before we showed up?"

Tina and Artie were momentarily floored by the bluntness of the question. They both looked at each other, mentally erasing the part where Tina was hopped up on the 'quil. "Umm," Artie started for them, "Tina passed out,"

"Yeah, and in order to bring me around, he had to get me to sit up, and the best way for him to do that was to… hold me up," she finished for him, speaking much too quickly.

"And she fell asleep that way after I gave her some Nyquil," he finished off, ending the story there.

Kurt and Mercedes eyes each other before turning their accusatory glares back on Tina and Artie. Finally Kurt seemed to accept the story, and quipped absently, "Man, Nyquil does seriously werid things to me."

"Me, too," Tina automatically chuckled, though she realized her mistake too late. When Kurt threw her a knowing grin, she did her best to backpedal, "I mean, yeah, that's why I was… invading Artie's personal space, I guess."

"I don't mind," Artie assured her softly, though he instantly regretted the admission. "I mean, it's not your fault. Medicine does weird stuff sometimes," he corrected quickly.

"Riiiight…" Kurt began, elongating the word in obvious doubt. "Hey Artie, can you help me heat this soup up in the kitchen?" he asked, a little too perkily for such a subject change.

Artie looked at him as if he was crazy. But when Kurt stood expectantly, he groaned and twisted his body to transfer back into the chair. After a hateful glare at Kurt, he settled back into his chair and led the well-groomed boy out of the room and to the kitchen.

As soon as Kurt and Artie were out of sight, Mercedes was at Tina's side in an instant. "Alright, girl, dish," she pressed in a hushed voice.

Tina gave her an incredulous look, "What do you mean? We weren't lying."

"Oh please. You don't need me to tell you how comfy you looked when we walked in," Mercedes eyed Tina carefully, "Plus, I've got a feelin' you left out some details."

Tina rolled her eyes, "I don't know what you want me to say, Mercedes. You know how I feel about him, he knows how I feel about him, I ran here because he's my best friend and he's looking out for me. Nothing more, okay?"

With a huff, Mercedes was quick to respond, "Okay, girl, you're out of your mind. Let me put it this way, you should have seen how happy _he_ looked when we walked in." To this, Tina could only blush. While she was looking for the proper thing to say, Mercedes cut in again, "Plus, you're wearing, like, no clothes right now, Tina. And he obviously has no problem with that."

If Tina was blushing before, there would be no words to describe the shade of red that was taking over her face now. "I'll be right back," she squeaked before practically sprinting out of the room.

In the kitchen, once the soup had been popped in the microwave (in an appropriate container, of course), Kurt rounded on Artie like a hawk descends on its prey. "Alright, you, I know you don't like talking about this, but you're going to spill," he spoke in a low tone that slightly frightened Artie.

"Okay," Artie agreed quietly, unsure what else he could get away with saying without getting his eyes scratched out.

Kurt leaned over, his hands on the arms of Artie's chair, "What is your problem, Artie? How can you torture Tina like this?"

Artie's forehead wrinkled in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, wheelchair boy, you _know_ Tina likes you, and you're not exactly discouraging her."

"What, so you want me to turn her away in the rain to stay at an empty house?" Artie retorted angrily.

Kurt huffed and rolled his eyes, "You know very well I'm not saying that. Even if you exclude the fact that you two were practically sleeping together on the couch just now, she's been breaking her heart over you for weeks now."

Artie could only look away at this statement, "I wish she would get over me," he responded quietly.

"You really want that? So you're telling me you have no feelings for her? If that's so, then you are some sick and twisted boy, Artie."

Artie rubbed his temple and sighed, "Look, Kurt, I'm not saying that. It's just… she's not really in a good place right now, and she's confused," he tried to put his fears into words without giving away too much, and he seemed to be doing a bad job of it.

"Confused? Artie, she's had a crush on you ever since we did that _Don't Stop Believing_ number, so don't give me that."

"Really?" Artie was genuinely surprised by this realization.

"Yes, really," Kurt snapped back. "And you look at her like she's the love of your life, yet you refuse her over and over again."

Artie merely stared at Kurt for a moment. "She just wants me because she thinks I'm the best she can do," he responded slowly, coming up with the words as he went. "She's my best friend, Kurt. I don't want to lose her by messing things up with some sham of a relationship."

"Yeah well, if it weren't Tina, you probably would have lost her already with all this crap you're pulling," Kurt stood back up as the microwave beeped. "She's not settling for you, Artie. She really likes you, and I wouldn't believe you if you said you didn't like her back."

Artie bit his tongue for a moment, trying not to snap back at Kurt. He figured he was just digging a hole if he tried to deny anything. With a sigh, he spoke softly, "I do…" he began. When Kurt raised an eyebrow at him, he continued, "like her, I mean. I know I do, but I'm happy we're best friends again, and I don't want to screw it up. I want to at least wait until her parents get things sorted out. She doesn't need more drama right now," his voice was defeated, as if admitting this was some sort of crime.

But Kurt's smile spread from ear to ear as he heard this, "That's fair," he agreed happily. However, his voice grew quiet then, "but if you break her heart again, I will cut you," he borrowed the line from Mercedes, though as an afterthought he added, "Not that there will be much left once Mercedes is done with you."

Artie just stared, eyes a little wider than before. With a nervous laugh, he turned to leave the kitchen, "Okay Kurt, let's not let that soup get cold again!"

By the time they got back to the living room, Mercedes had relocated herself back to the original couch she had been sitting on. Kurt set the large bowl of soup on the coffee table, setting out four smaller ones for each of them. But Artie stopped in the doorway, looking at Mercedes suspiciously. "Where's Tina?" he asked slowly, looking around one more time.

Mercedes gave him a sly smile that could only mean no good, "I made a comment about her little booty shorts, so she's changing." Artie's inner demons cursed Mercedes. He very much liked those little booty shorts, despite what they made him want to do to his best friend.

"Speaking of which," Kurt began casually, "you should wear not-suspenders-and-sweater-vests more often, Artie."

Artie shook his head gently as he hauled himself back onto the couch. "I need the suspenders," he muttered.

Luckily, the arrival of Tina cut off that discussion quickly. Artie got a vague satisfaction out of seeing Tina back in his grey plaid sweatpants. But apparently Mercedes disapproved of the choice, "Girl, those are way too long for you."

Tina looked a little embarrassed, and quickly muttered, "They're Artie's."

"Oh so you're wearing his pants now?" Mercedes began, but was interrupted by a swift jab to her side from Kurt. They exchanged silent looks again, and there was some sort of understanding between them.

To ease the awkward, Kurt served up the soup and bread, and began conversation unrelated to any of the present company. Everyone appreciated this, except for maybe Mercedes, who was still not satisfied. But, as usual, she followed Kurt's example and gossiped about other people instead.

After what must have been a few hours, Mercedes and Kurt finally decided to leave. Once Tina had closed the door behind them, she sighed in relief, leaning against it for a moment. After Tina returned, there was a short silence, then they both started to laugh. "I forgot how exhausting they can be," Tina managed through fits of laughter.

"When you're their target, they sure are," Artie agreed, clutching his sides. "Oh I don't know how much more of that I could take," he sighed as he overcame the laughter, "at least they brought food, right?"

Tina, however, was still giggling, so she just nodded and hopped back onto the couch. Once settled on the corner opposite Artie, she looked at him with soft eyes, opening her mouth to speak.

"Don't you dare apologize," Artie interrupted. "I invited them over, it's not your fault," he insisted.

She crossed her arms indignantly, "That's not what I was going to apologize for."

He sighed, "Don't apologize for the Nyquil thing, either."

"That's not it!" she cried out, looking a little more desperate than she had intended. When Artie just looked at her in quiet curiosity, she looked away and played with the hem of the blanket. "Sorry for… well, when Mercedes and Kurt came in… the way I was kinda… sleeping on you," her voice got progressively softer as she spoke, enough so that Artie found himself leaning forward a bit to hear her. When she was finished, she glanced up to see him simply staring at her expectantly. "Well if I had been somewhere else it would have saved us a lot of trouble," she mumbled, but it was at least loud enough for him to hear.

He continued to stare at her for a moment, then chuckled a little, "You're kidding, right, Tee?" he asked, his face in complete disbelief. "Come here," he said softly, offering a hand. She looked at it cautiously, and refused it with a shake of her head. He dropped his hand sadly, looking her over more carefully. "Even if you were on the other side of the state, Tee," he began, hurt evident in his voice, "they would still assume there was something going with us."

"Yeah well look me in the eyes and tell me there's not, Artie," she responded with a forcefulness that startled both of them.

Their eyes met, but Artie had to look away. With a sigh, Artie began, "Tina…"

"I know," she said, still in her overly forceful voice, "I know," she repeated, softer this time. When he looked back at her, there was a moment of silence that passed between them. Tina broke down first, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't," he interrupted with a small smile. "You have to stop doing that," he said with a hollow chuckle. Another pause and he held out his hand again. She ignored it again, only to practically lunge at him, her arms going around his neck. He hugged her there for a while, reveling the contact as if he feared it were his last. Finally he sighed into her hair, "Tee?" She pulled back, kneeling in front of him. He held his breath for a moment, as if part of himself didn't want him to continue, "You can tell me, you know. I mean… if it bothers you. What I mean is," he struggled with the words, "if you don't like being this close without… you know." He hoped she did, because he was doing a bad job speaking with her looking at him like that.

Lucky for him, she did understand. She looked away for a moment, then returned her gaze to his face. She gave a half smile, "That's just stupid, Artie. I'm pretty sure _I'm _the one forcing myself on _you_."

He let himself smile a little more, and pulled her back to him, hugging her close. "I just wanted to put that out there," he murmured. They remained that way for a while longer, a comfortable silence falling over them. Suddenly, it was Tina who broke the silence.

"…did Kurt threaten you?"

"…maybe."


End file.
